Between the Lines
by Metalmark
Summary: "If you could alter the past would you?" In which Claire finds out the cost of tweaking with destiny is much greater than she can ever imagine.
1. Part I

**A/N: **Sooo….and I'm here in the Resident Evil category. This idea came up based on (yes for those who knew right away) the chaos theory as well as the movie (called The Butterfly Effect). This story takes place a few months after the events of Resident Evil 5. There are many references to the animated Degeneration movie as well. Beware of **spoilers** for both as well as spoilers of Code Veronica (obviously) and The Darkside Chronicles; the two are mixed in Claire's memories (some dialogue is copied from The Darkside Chronicles).

As for Claire's background—most of it I made up seeing as much of her past (aside from what we know in the game and movie events) is untold. So I went on a whim and created something I saw fit. The same goes for any other background information added that is not told in the characters' background.

* * *

**Between The Lines**

_The Butterfly Effect_ (def.): **1.** Idea that a butterfly's wings might create tiny changes in the atmosphere that may ultimately alter the path of a tornado or delay, accelerate or even prevent the occurrence of a tornado in a certain location; the flapping wing represents a small change in the initial condition of the system (compare: domino effect).

**2**. A metaphor that encapsulates the concept of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory; namely that small differences in the initial condition of a dynamical system may produce large variations in the long term behavior of the system.

* * *

"_Leave unsaid unspoken; eyes wide shut, unopened. You and me always between the lines; between the lines." –Between the Lines; Sara Bareilles._

_&._

Darkness. She could only see darkness of the night surrounding her. It seemed to consume her in its thickness. She looked at her hand that was in front of her face and could barely make out the faint glow of her peachy skin. It appeared to almost give off luminosity. Why was she in a cemetery this late? She could make out the trees and gray tombstones. Suddenly something shifted in the atmosphere. It grew more chilling; there was a bone chilling sensation in the air. The auburn haired woman rubbed her arms in a vain attempt to stop the hairs on her arms from standing.

_What is __**this**__?_

The darkness was lighting up to more of a misty atmosphere. There was fog instead as she could barely make out a figure approaching in the distance. Its movements were slow, stalking towards her alarmingly like something out of a horror movie. She reached down alarmed trying to retrieve something that wasn't there—her weapon; the good ole' trusty knife that was Chris's from his S.T.A.R.S days. Claire upon realizing she was weaponless took a few cautious steps back. Sweat began to trickle down the sides of her forehead and she could feel her heart pacing quickly in her chest as if it would jump out in any minute. This was definitely _not_ good.

The figure was appearing through the fog and Claire squinted her blue eyes trying to make it out. She could only make out the bright red-orange messy strands of hair that reminded her of fire, then it was gray eyes that reminded her of a mirror and slight coolness. She was staring at the body of someone she thought was gone for good.

"S-Steve….?" She found herself muttering in disbelief.

No, Steve Burnside was gone. He had been for ten years now. She saw him die in Antarctica.

She found her legs walking forward subconsciously despite her heart giving off warning signs. "Steve!" Her voice was more assertive now; her heart wanting so desperately to believe.

She was closer than she was before. She could clearly make out his face. His boyish face was still the same as she remembered, shaped with the youth of his seventeen years. It was a mix between childishness and growing manhood features; defining jaw, clean skin free of facial hair, pink full lips. His eyes, however, were a different story she noted freezing in place. Before his eyes always seemed to radiate his courage, brashness, immaturity, even loneliness—but overall definite liveliness despite his past, and yet now that she was staring at those same eyes they radiated no such thing; these eyes were blank, cool and dare she say dark.

"S-Steve?" She questioned tripping over her words slightly. Her eyebrows furrowed worriedly and slightly alarmed. No, something didn't feel right at all.

"You…said we would escape together." His voice was deeper than she remembered.

"I wanted that. I didn't want to have to leave you behind!" Claire cried out clutching her hands into fists. She clutched them so tightly into her palms that her nails seemed to seep into her skin drawing blood. It was a numbing sort of pain.

The red-haired boy's eyes were hidden under his bangs then and Claire spotted his lips draw upwards slowly into a frightening smile.

"Right," he murmured acidly and turned around.

"_Steve_!" Claire exclaimed his name exasperated reaching out and grabbing his shoulder. She froze upon touching him feeling the coldness radiate from his body despite his clothing. She drew her hand back stepping back horrified as his body suddenly took on another form. There was a loud sound of squishing and bone cracking. She could smell the thick stench of rotting flesh in the air and it was so overwhelming that she chocked on her breath wanting to throw up. Her hands went up to her mouth as she coughed trying to assuage her stomach. When she looked up she spotted the deformed green skinned tyrant that Steve had been forced to become back on the Antarctic base due to the T-Veronica virus. Veins popped out and showed clearly on parts of his body sickly. The great big red eye in his body looked at her without so much a blink.

"No…" She shook her head taking a few steps back.

_Not __**this**__ again. _

She couldn't endure the image of the Steve Burnside she had known alter to _this: _an experiment of Alexia's—her toy.

_But…it's still Steve. He's still in there._

Claire stopped in her tracks. Even when she saw the monster approach her with a giant axe in his hands she didn't move. She was tired of running. She had to stand her ground. She had to-

_Save him…._

"Steve please. You're right, I didn't keep my promise. You did but I didn't. I'm sorry. I _wish_ I could change what happened," she reasoned.

Drops of water slid down the side of her cheeks and it was then that Claire noticed it was her tears. It had been so long since she had cried that it felt as if she had forgotten how to cry. Now the tears fell freely and she could do nothing to stop them.

The auburn girl looked up despite the tears blurring her vision slightly to see the raising axe. Its silver blade glittered hauntingly. She could never hurt him—tyrant or not. When the blade raced down meeting her flesh—the agonizing pain, the feeling of her skin on fire, the ripping of flesh, the heavy smell of iron due to the splattering of her own blood, was nothing to the pain she felt at knowing that she failed him.

* * *

Claire woke up sitting up quickly gasping for air harshly as if she had just dashed a four-mile jog. Her chest heaved up and down with every pant and she could feel the wetness of her sweat clinging to her clothes and bed sheets. It was still clearly dark outside as viewed from the bedroom apartment window. She groaned and slumped back in her bed wiping some of the sweat on her forehead.

"Just a nightmare," she said to herself in a whisper as if trying to reassure herself.

It certainly didn't feel like just a nightmare. The emotions, the coldness, the pain, the darkness, the descriptiveness of Steve's face lingering in her mind so close, so vivid; it felt all too real.

It had been ten years since that all by chance meeting with Steve Burnside on Rockfort Island with the craziness of the Ashford family. She thought she was over it, over blaming herself constantly. 'Survivor's guilt' her brother had called it. She gave a wry smile at the thought. How many times had she faced near death only to come out still alive? There were too many to count. Too many deaths burned in her memory as well.

Claire glanced at the clock on the desk by her bedside noting the time. It was only a quarter past six in the morning. Still very early but she doubted she'd be able to go back to sleep at any rate. She tossed the covers aside getting out of bed and heading towards the living room. The ivory white nightgown clung to the curves of her body, providing little warmth but much comfort.

Her apartment was small and appeared neat but it was merely because it was empty. She hadn't wanted many commodities seeing as her line of work called for her to travel most of the time. It was easier this way.

The auburn-haired woman slipped into the kitchen setting up the coffee maker and once it started making the hissing noises headed into back in the living room sitting on the brown tanned couch. She grabbed the remote placed on the wooden coffee table in front with smooth wood and glass. She flipped through the channels settling on the news seeing as that was really all that was on this early. But she had little use for news. The news displayed a false sense of normality that she had long ago realized was unreal. There were never any showings of the flesh eating zombies with dead like pale skin ripped and foul smelling odor like rotting flesh that she and her friends had faced. Such events were quickly hidden under the table due to controversy. The Harvardville events were faint in her mind. It was like it would never really end. There was always an outbreak of the sort; more bloodshed, more lives altered drastically, more lives lost.

Claire felt the pounding in her head and she rubbed her temples soothingly. She had been having several headaches lately. Chris and Jill had expressed evident worry but she merely brushed aside their concerns saying they were nothing. At times they got to be unbearable, however, like a cinderblock was balanced on her head. Lack of sleep, slower eating patterns, and stress were the cause of them more than likely. She dared not voice these things to her older brother. He would over exaggerate as usual.

The news flashed stories about crime rates, kidnappings, careers, weather forecasting and other stories. For a change everything seemed normal for the most part. It had been a couple of months since Chris took down Wesker and after that there had been no outbreaks or danger. She wondered if it truly was a time of peace or they were being lured in a false sense of security.

The coffee maker made a loud beeping sound indicating the coffee being done then. Claire stood up walking over and pouring herself a cup. She put in little milk and sugar due to her not being a big fan of black and liked coffee more on the sweet side. She couldn't even remember when she started even liking coffee seeing as in her youth she hated the strong, caffeinated liquid. Days of nonstop paperwork and even longer nights probably was what stirred the sudden habit. She headed back to the couch and sipped the coffee, her mind absent. Suddenly the pain came back in her head more vigorously. She winced holding a hand to her head placing her coffee down.

_Thump—thump—thump._

It was a slow, painful throbbing in her head. The older woman quickly headed to the bathroom turning on the lights and opening the cabinet. She searched through the items rustling about until she finally found what she was looking for. She found the pill container and opened it popping two pills in her mouth swallowing with a cup of water that was already in the bathroom. She placed her arms on either side of the white sink resting her weight on them. Her eyes closed as she took a slow, deep breath. _In—and out._

Claire opened her eyes and looked up at the mirror ahead of her. She looked oddly pale even to herself in the lightening. Her blue eyes were bright and stood out even more due to the contrast of her light skin. Her reddish-brown strands of hair were loose from her typical ponytail, a few strands framing the oval shape of her face while the other cascaded past her shoulders. She didn't like the look and quickly placed her hair up with a rubber band feeling odd without the style. It probably seemed strange to others for her to go so many years without a different hairstyle using the ordinary ponytail style for as long as she could remember. It was something of her appearance that always stayed the same and it was relieving because as she stared back at the reflection, the woman staring back looked completely different. She had changed throughout the years. She was no longer the somewhat naive girl she had been back in her youthful years where she impulsively (and rashly) rushed into Raccoon city alone on her motorcyle in search of her older brother only to find herself stumbling across a nightmare beyond explainable. No amount of valor, strong headedness, determination, or Chris's teachings had prepared her for that.

Claire grimaced slightly and pushed herself away walking out of the room turning out the light on the way out. She returned back to her coffee and the news casting. She glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It read seven. The sun was already rising in the sky now. She decided getting out of the apartment would do her some good. She dressed in a plain black t-shirt with tight fitting blue jeans, shoes and a brown belt in place. Claire was never one for make-up so she didn't bother with placing any on. She grabbed her keys and a simple brown purse and headed out the door locking it on her way out. Her room was upstairs so she had to walk down the long set of stairs (although she could have just taken an elevator) before heading outside. The air was crisp and warm outside. A set of birds chirping beautifully was heard in the background. There was little action aside—cars driving, people passing here and there.

Her head definitely felt better now. The pain subsided for the moment. She'd have to ask her friend for more of the medication. Strangely enough the pills couldn't be found in any convenience store. When inquired about, Claire's friend had told her it was an over-the-seas medication that was only found in foreign cities that he had found when visiting. The answer was fair enough. There was a sudden ringing sound and Claire dug into her purse pulling out her phone. Her lips twitched upwards into a smile as she answered it.

"Well, well, you're actually up early for a change," she said playfully mocking.

"Ha, ha, very funny Claire. I actually have to get up early sometimes. We can't all be choosers," Chris remarked. He sounded tired. She doubted he had just woken up and decided to call her. He had probably stayed up all night with work.

"Although I love such pleasantries with you Chris," Claire replied back wittingly still with a smile, "I can't help but be suspicious this time."

"Untrusting of your older brother?" He was teasing her back as much as she was. The two were too much alike for their own good.

"What's going on?" She inquired curiously raising a brow.

"We're back in town. I thought we could have breakfast together."

"By _we're_, I assume you mean you and Jill, hm?"

There was a pause and a clearing of a throat before Chris responded. "Well yeah..."

Claire held back a giggle. It was painfully obvious even to her that the relationship between her brother and Jill Valentine went far beyond partnership. She wondered why they even bothered to try to hide it. A part of her wanted to push them together already but the other part knew that she couldn't overstep the boundaries the two had placed with their partnership. It would more than likely complicate things instead of aid. She got the feeling that the two were edging slowly into things and more than likely in the end fix things themselves. With the previous round of events the two certainly did seem even closer. The period of time Chris thought he lost Jill for good probably was a wake-up call for him.

"Of course," she agreed softly.

It certainly would put her in high spirits again and possibly distract her from the raging thoughts in her head that wouldn't desist.

"Let's meet up at the small dinner down the street. You know the one I'm talking about right?"

"Yes, what time?"

There was a brief pause and Claire assumed he used the time to quickly glance at his watch. "How about in fifteen minutes?"

Claire nodded but realized then that Chris couldn't see the action. "Okay, see you then."

"See you."

Claire ended the call and closed her phone. She stared at it absently with a smile on her face. It had been awhile since she had spent some time with Chris and Jill. The time they spent always served as enjoyable. It was probably the only time she didn't worry about work or think about the nightmares she had faced (and still faced although now they were more internal than external). She continued to walk along the sidewalk. She would more than likely reach the restaurant before the others but she didn't mind waiting.

A few people smiled politely at her along the way and she returned the action. Her feet made a soft clatter sound when the heel met with the cement. Claire spotted the diner up ahead and walked inside. The diner was trendy and simple. The warm colors adorned the style of it. There were small smooth brown wood windows adorned on the walls. A waitress with short black hair to her shoulders and sparkling blue eyes spotted Claire and smiled heading over to her.

"For one?" She asked.

"Three."

The waitress nodded and gestured for Claire to follow her. She was led to a table with four chairs set up near a window towards the side. Claire took a seat near the wall.

"Can I start you off with a drink?"

Claire noticed the girl had a hint of a Spanish accent in her voice. She had always enjoyed different languages but unfortunately her knowledge barely exceeded a minimal of French she had learned in high school.

"I'll have water with lemon, thank you." Claire answered.

When the waitress left, Claire drew her attention out the window. She spotted some people passing by chattering with companions if they were with any. It was a typical normal day.

_Normal_, she mused on the word. The word sounded strange. She froze when she saw a young girl pass by with short blonde hair and a red headband in place. _Sherry?_

Upon closer inspection, Claire realized that it wasn't Sherry. She sighed and brushed a few loose strands that had fallen in her face away. Sherry's current status was unknown. Leon had told her that she had suddenly disappeared years ago from under the radar and her whereabouts weren't known. She wondered briefly if the people of Umbrella had caught up with her somehow and even though the company was taken down by Chris and Jill, Sherry was still somehow captive somewhere. Or maybe Wesker had hid her away...

_If only I hadn't left her alone back in Raccoon city… _But if she hadn't left her then she would never have run into Chris and met Steve in Rockfort.

Her thoughts trailed then to a certain sandy-haired man whom she had met in Raccoon city.

_I wonder how Leon is doing nowadays._

The two talked every now and then and when Leon was in town he made sure to drop in and see all of them. Them being together certainly brought back plenty of memories, and they certainly did have one big thing in common: they had all survived the biohazard nightmare. The last time Leon had talked to Claire which was a couple months back he told her that he would inform her if he was around again. He was more than likely overworked with his agent duties.

"Oh just like James Bond, hm_?" _She had teased him about his career.

His response had been a roll of his eyes that reminded her of how boyish he appeared when they first meet; boyish and completely inexperienced but all too willingly to lend an extra hand to a stranger. _"_Hardly. It's not a secret that I'm an agent Claire."

"But the good-looking woman magnet Caucasian agent is _still_ applicable."

He had given her a blank look but she had noticed the twitch of his lips trying to fight off a smile. He was too serious for his own good. At times it could be quite difficult to talk to him. At that time the waitress appeared and placed down a glass with water, ice and a lemon balanced on the side. She slipped down a straw on the table as well.

"Would you like to order or wait?" She asked kindly picking at the black small apron around her waist absently.

"I'll wait thanks."

Claire dropped the lemon in her cup and started smashing it with her straw so that the juice from the lemon was mixed into the water. Her friends always asked her why she didn't just ask for lemonade; Claire's response: she was being "resourceful." She felt a sudden arm placed around her shoulders and her body stiffened in response. She grabbed the said hand on her shoulder spinning it around in an uncomfortable position. A sound of a familiar male grunting was heard and she instantly released her hold.

"Jesus, Chris! Don't sneak up on people like that!" Claire chided. She thought he was a pervert or something.

Chris Redfield grimaced flicking his wrist. He was all brute strength but even he had to admit _that_ even hurt a tad bit. It didn't help that most of Claire's self-defense training he had taught her after all. "Dully noted."

Claire grinned standing up and hugging her older brother. His arms wrapped around her in response gently returning the embrace. It was a bit awkward considering the amount of muscle he was sprouting. She took a step back eyeing him a quizzical brow.

"Still on steroids? That stuff will kill ya, you know." She teased unable to help herself.

Chris scoffed rubbing his thumb on the bridge of his nose. "I'm _not. _Thanks so much for the concern."

Jill laughed in good humor along with Claire. Claire then turned her attention to Jill quickly giving her a hug as well. The female ex-S.T.A.R.S member had her hair dyed back to brown and was cut to her traditional short haircut that was almost a bob. She had looked good as a blonde but being a brunette just suited her better. Her light colored eyes were bright and Claire figured that she was content being at Chris's side again.

"They tested him already for a drug test. He passed." Jill declared with an amused glint in her eyes.

Chris looked down at her petite form. It wasn't missed to Claire the quick run over his eyes did over Jill's body. "You sound almost surprised Jill," he said dryly.

Her lips twitched slightly upwards although she was trying to obviously hide it. "Who me?"

"This body here is pure, unadulterated muscle."

The two females rolled their eyes at his vanity even if he was obviously just teasing.

"Sit down. I was just thinking about what I was going to get." Claire gestured.

The three sat down in the chairs. Claire sat across from them, her chair somewhere in between and Chris and Jill sat side-by-side. The menus were still placed in front of the chairs waiting to be opened.

"You always get the same thing normally." Chris remarked opening his menu, his dark eyes searching through the items in the menu.

"I'm a creature of habit, guilty as charged." Claire responded back with a smile.

It wasn't like she came to this restaurant all the time. Most of the time the visits were reserved for when Chris and Jill were in town. Coming to the diner without them seemed out of place.

"I wonder where she gets it from, Mr. BLT." Jill interjected with a knowing look.

Chris's lips pressed together. He was known to always get the bacon, lettuce, and tomato burger. Sue him for enjoying a good, hearty burger (hearty seeing as the amount of calories bacon gave off weren't exactly healthy).

"You two are always teaming up on me when you both are together," he grumbled.

Claire glanced up at Jill briefly winking at her and then turning attention to her brother who was sulking silently at the moment. "It's because we both _obviously_ love you Chris."

"Sure, sure," he mumbled back but there was lightness in his voice, and he appeared sort of pleased at the comment.

Jill was looking through her menu as well, her slim fingers pointing to a particular menu. "The pasta looks delectable."

"The Fettuccini Alfredo?" Claire questioned.

"Yep."

"Yum. I think I might want that too."

Chris laughed then. "I thought you we a 'creature of habit?'" He said using air quotations upon saying the creature of habit part to mock her.

"Even I am entitled to a change here and there Christopher."

The grimace that came across Chris's face upon hearing his full name was fully noticed. He made it apparent to everyone that he very much disliked being called by his full name. When Barry tried to call him by it, Chris had given him such a dark glare (and combined with the intimidation of his fully muscled body) the older man dared not to try it again. Of course, this time it was his _beloved_ sister calling him it and, well, she had privileges; Jill too but he'd never admit it out loud.

The waitress conveniently showed up at that moment noticing all three of them seated. She pulled out a small pad and pen ready to write down their orders.

"Are you three ready now?" She asked with a smile. She glanced over briefly at Jill and then her eyes rested on Chris for a few seconds with something like interested appraisal before looking away. Chris was attractive for someone in his late thirties after all. It didn't come off as a surprise another woman was showing mild interest in him albeit this said woman was probably twice younger. She was barking up the wrong tree though if she thought she had a chance with Chris especially due to the beautiful brunette beside him whose lips were somewhat pursed having noticed the waitress's attention.

"Yes, I'll take the pasta; the Fettuccini Alfredo dish." Claire spoke up closing her menu and holding it out.

The pretty, young waitress nodded quickly jotting it down and taking the menu under her arm. She turned her attention to Jill and Chris then waiting for them to answer.

"Same for me. I'll have a diet coke as well." Jill responded.

There was more writing down and everyone looked at Chris. He appeared to have dazed for a few minutes and then came back to life. "Oh…yeah, I'll have the BLT meal, thanks; with water."

The two tried to hold down their smiles.

The waitress nodded writing it down and grabbing the rest of the menus. "I'll be back shortly then," she said in an enthusiastic voice.

When she was gone, Claire looked at her older brother amused. She then glanced over at Jill who appeared to be very interested in staring at her hands. Was she honestly self-conscious of a young girl in her twenties? The thought sounded ridiculous—to Claire at least.

"That waitress was so giving you the look Chris." Claire pointed out.

Jill looked up at Claire with her lips pursed. _Sorry Jill_, Claire thought with an apologetic smile in her direction.

Chris rubbed his hand on his chin thoughtfully. His fingers ran over the bristles of his facial hair that was growing back again. He would have to shave again in a couple of days. "Oh really? She's kind of young for me…" He darted a curious glance at Jill. "And anyways, I prefer brunettes."

Jill glanced over at him quizzically and he winked playfully at her before turning his attention to Claire. Their flirting was always a normal thing. It was all within limits, of course. Jill rolled her eyes in response but the smile on her lips said something else along with the sudden glow in her cheeks. If only Chris wasn't so dense…

"How have your headaches been Claire?" Jill asked then concerned.

"Better." She lied and instantly felt horrible for doing so. She didn't want to worry them over her. They had enough things to deal with after all with work.

"That's good. I'm sure work can be stressing but you should try to take it easy."

Claire nodded taking a sip of her drink.

"Where's that one guy we saw last time with you?" Chris asked then.

"Overseas. He was just a classmate for the last time Chris. Must you always be so overprotective?"

Chris grinned. "Just one of the duties of being an older brother."

"And I bet annoying is one of those said duties too." Claire mumbled.

"Hm, I think you're right. I have to check the list again."

Claire almost forgot how exasperating her brother could be at times. _Almost._

* * *

It was a little before noon when Claire arrived home. She was surprised at how quickly the hour and a half flew by. She entered her apartment closing the door behind her. Her phone began to ring and she shuffled through her purse pulling it out. The number was a private number she noted suspiciously.

"Claire Redfield speaking."

"Claire, hey." A warm male voice greeted.

"Oh hey Blake. I wasn't expecting you to call so soon. How's it overseas?" She asked in a conversational tone.

"Great, there are a lot of oceans out here. I'll send you a postcard. How are you headaches coming along? Is the medicine I gave you helping?"

Claire held the phone to her ear with one hand and was attempting to take off her shoes with the other. "Yes, I owe you one for finding them for me. They're a life saver."

"Sure thing honey." There was a pause and she could hear another voice in the background. "I have to go. I'll talk to you later alright?"

"Uh-huh, bye."

"Bye."

Claire placed her phone down and took off her other shoe. She dropped them by the door and stretched her arms out tiredly. She might as well get back to her paperwork. Her blue eyes darted then to the picture frame on the drawer. It was an old family picture. Happy faces radiated back in the photo. She grabbed the picture frame wiping a bit of dust off the glass with her hand. She missed her parents so much but she was relieved that she had at least Chris and he wasn't taken away from her too. She didn't know what she would do if she lost him as well. Her expression turned wistful as she stared upon the photo. If only she had stopped her parents from leaving that night; they would still be here. She suddenly wished that she had a photo of Sherry and Steve too to keep around. She wanted something tangible to remind her of them; something other than her memories that could easily fade away in the back of her mind.

"I wish I did things different so those things didn't have to happen to you all." She mumbled sadly.

She wished she could have _stopped_ what had happened to them. Her parents and Steve wouldn't have died and Sherry would still be here. They could have all been a family together since Sherry and Steve had lost theirs. Claire shut her eyes taking a deep breath and then placing the frame back where it was.

_If wishes were fishes…_

The auburn-haired woman headed to the kitchen then to grab a glass of water. Her throat suddenly felt so dry. Her hands pulled a glass from the cupboard and she began to pour water in it. She picked up the cup to her throat and the cold liquid slid down her throat. Suddenly, she felt a sharp jolt of pain in her head. She gasped in response and dropped the glass which shattered into a million pieces once it hit the ground. The sound of glass breaking echoed in the apartment.

_Thump—thump—thump!_

Claire held her hands to her head in pain. The painful thumping was back and it was suddenly more painful than ever. It felt like someone was stabbing her in the head over and over. She stumbled quickly into the bathroom digging into the cabinets making a mess in search. She finally found the container and she swallowed two pills with water. Afterwards, she slumped onto the ground breathing heavily, her knees curled up as she rested her chin on them and hugged her legs to her chest.

Her head throbbed and then it stopped. She placed a hand gingerly to her temples in surprise. Her eyes flickered then and the pain came back full throttle; the stabbing feeling twice worse than before. She moaned in pain and shut her eyes trying to calm down her sudden racing heart.

_Just count and it'll go away. _She thought to herself trying to distract herself from the pain. It felt then like someone was trying to rip her head from her body and she screamed.

_One…two…three…!_

And then she blackened out.

* * *

"Claire…Claire…honey, wake up."

Claire moaned in response, her eyelids twitching. Her eyelids slowly began to open then and her vision was blurred. She could barely make out the blurred bodies in front of her.

"Claire, are you alright?" A kind and soft female voice asked. It held a motherly tone that made her feel safe.

_That sounds….familiar._

Her vision cleared then and she froze upon making out the figures. Her mother and father were kneeled by her side staring at her concerned. Chris was behind them looking at her too except he wasn't the massive muscle head she knew. No, he appeared now like a growing teenager. She gasped and looked down at her body which was supposed to be shaped into that of a woman's but it wasn't. She was a little girl.

_What…is….going on? What is __**this**__?_

* * *

**End of part I.**

No appearance of Steve yet. He will make an appearance shortly though I promise (and it'll be worth the wait)! Tell me what you think. Oh and if there are any noticeable mistakes do tell me. I tried hard to catch them all but you know... -_-


	2. Part II

**Special Blabber: **And here's part II of this story. Big thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter. You guys are amazing~

**Rating note:** Oh I brought down the rating to T as of now - because I'm not entirely sure if it be that highly rated. A plot bunny attacked me a week ago and I have another idea for a Claire/Steve story that _will _be rated that high but as of now I'm keeping this story as T; hope you all don't mind too much.

_Disclaimer: _Incase it wasn't obvious, I don't own Resident Evil, Capcom does and they haven't recruited me in any way. *grumbles* Oh, and I don't own the song Savin' Me by Nickelback either.

* * *

**Between The Lines**

_"Heaven's gate won't open up for me - with these broken wings I fall, and all I see is you." –Savin' Me; Nickelback_

* * *

Claire rubbed her eyes hastily appearing as if she had seen a ghost—_ghosts. _Both of her parents were standing in front of her after all in the flesh. Her blue eyes darted through their clear faces. They hadn't disappeared; they were still here in front of her. She felt a wave of emotion fill her; relief, happiness, hope, and a pinch of sadness and nostalgia at the knowing what fate awaited them. Her expression must have showed because Claire's mother placed her hand against her daughter's forehead concerned. Warmth radiated from the older woman's palm and it was a soothing touch that almost instantly calmed Claire. She oddly felt the age of the body she now inhabited a bit; child-like, high spirited with great inspirations for herself as she got older. She thought wryly now that she was older and knew better the naivety of it all.

"Claire, darling, do you want something? You just collapsed out of nowhere; worried the living daylights out of all of us." Her mother asked caringly with affection radiating in her every action.

Claire's eyes searched her mother's face as if to imprint the woman's face into memory. She had long auburn colored hair that was vibrant; her hair was kempt and organized as it normally was, being placed in a neat bun with a few loose strands framing her face. Her face was perfectly oval shaped with clear peachy skin free of any blemishes. She had few wrinkles to hint at her maturing age but they didn't take away from her breathtaking beauty. Her eyes were a dazzling sapphire blue that always gleamed brightly like stars when she was amused or happy.

"I'm fine…," She mumbled finally, her voice high pitched and childlike, that it shocked her for a second until she remembered the situation.

_This can't be happening…I've gone back in time, _she thought furrowing her eyebrows in contemplation. Such things didn't happen though. It was impossible. She had to be dreaming.

Claire then proceeded to pinch herself and winced. She did it a little _too_ hard, and it definitely hurt like _hell_. She rubbed her arm scowling; she more than likely appeared really stupid at that moment. Her parents and Chris didn't seem to notice; they were continuing with their actions that they had been doing beforehand. Her father was sitting on the couch along with Chris as they watched the football game and her mother was preparing dinner; from the smell of it - rice and steak. The smell was mouthwatering. She could make out the strong aroma of rosemary that her mother more than likely added as an herb in the rice.

Claire shook her head and allowed herself to walk over and sit on the couch beside Chris. She glanced over at him narrowing her eyes as if trying to take his appearance in. He was lean and muscular still but it was a little less obvious, more _natural—_she mused entertained—and his face was nicely shaved free of any facial hair. She turned her attention to her father who was more or less the person whom Chris got all his looks from. Her father had short cropped brown hair, strong defined jaw, facial hair—a five o'clock shadow—blue eyes that were a bit darker, and broad shoulders. He more than likely had broken a few hearts here and there in his past with his looks. The two were too engrossed in the game to notice Claire's observations. She allowed a smile to creep across her lips as she sat back releasing a breath; she hadn't realized she had held her breath.

Whatever was happening she still didn't understand it. If this was a dream though, she didn't want to wake up—at least not until a little bit longer.

The auburn girl brushed a few strands of her hair back; her hair was cut short to her shoulders—she felt herself somewhat grimace upon realizing this. She forgot that back then her hair was _always_ short; _tomboy at heart_, she mused lightheartedly.

Certainly this had to be a dream because there was no way it was a memory. Claire may not remember everything about her childhood but she was certain she'd have a feeling of déjà vu had she been reliving a memory and yet the feeling was somewhat there; despite the part of her being unconscious which wasn't déjà vu, the feeling of watching Chris and their father engrossed in the game, and the tasty smell of a home cooked meal made her nostalgic and felt oddly familiar.

"Dinner is ready. You three get your butts away from the TV and in the kitchen pronto." Mrs. Redfield ordered, with a slight edge to her voice. She didn't conceal her displeasure at having them acting like mindless zombies in front of the television.

Claire stood up along with Chris and Mr. Redfield who were grumbling. She giggled softly, the sound surprisingly her with its childlike ring. The four sat on the dinner table in which the plates were already served nicely and organized along with dinnerware. Chris made an attempt to reach for a dinner roll that was placed in a red bowl in the center of the table but Mrs. Redfield immediately swatted his hand.

"Prayers first Christopher."

Chris glowered and drew back his hand. It was safe to say he wasn't exactly _big_ on religious manners. Claire felt herself give him a sympathetic look. She wasn't a hard core Christian or anything of the sort but she was more enthusiastic about her faith than Chris was; more than likely something inherited from their mother.

All of them joined hands from their chairs; Claire placed her small hand in Chris's bigger one, and he held hands with their mother, and she with their father. The auburn girl closed her eyes feeling the warmth radiate from Chris's grasp. She felt like the connection flowed through all of them at that moment that their hands were joined; an unbreakable link. As a child she thought nothing would break their connection. However, Chris when he turned seventeen joined the forces and a few months later their parents passed away; her relationship with Chris was damaged slightly in the process. The bond was broken, shattered; unable to hold without their parent's presence. Even Chris quitting the forces and moving back to be closer to Claire didn't solve anything. The gap was still there.

He left her without any contact for _three _whole months prior to her taking off to find him. She knew he did it to protect her but she didn't want to be held back for a reason like that. He was _all_ she had; didn't he understand that? Why would he try to keep away from her 'to protect her?'

And suddenly Claire felt light-headed. She gave a small gasp and felt her head spinning and it was like she was floating.

* * *

"_Claire…Claire…"_

She heard the voice absently and a ghost of a smile came across her lips. The feeling was light; like floating on clouds. She didn't want to wake up from the feeling. The voice came again more urgent and forceful this time. She felt then the impact of throbs come to her head one after another. It was like a heartbeat now echoing in her head only it was actually painful.

_Thump, thump, thump!_

The thumps increased faster and faster by the minute and in the process the pain increased as well. She writhed in pain trying to do something to soften the attacks. Her heart was pacing heavily in her chest and she could too feel and hear her heartbeat echoing in her head. It synchronized with the attacks now, making the pain even more unbearable. She gave a sudden shrieking sound tossing her body around unconsciously; her arms swinging and meeting with air. It felt like she didn't even have control of her body anymore.

"_Claire!"_

"_Oh god! Chris! It's like she's having a seizure!" _

She could make out the two voices now; a male and female. They sounded so far away…

"_Damnit. Call an ambulance Jill!"_

_Jill, _Claire thought deliriously, _she didn't know us back then._

The connection broke so suddenly then and Claire's eyes darted wide open in fright, her breaths heavy. Where was she? Her mind was completely jumbled with thoughts and questions. Chris, who had Claire cradled in his arms so gently as if she was a doll, released his breath noticing her finally reacting, his face pale.

"Claire," He breathed, his voice heavy with emotion, (_had he almost cried_, she thought noticing his eyes somewhat clearer than she remembered) "Are you alright?"

She held a hand to her head groaning. It was an understatement to say it hurt like utter hell at the moment. "I'm…fine…" She murmured slowly in response. She sounded slightly still delirious from what she had just experiences.

"Thank God…" Chris sighed and the muscles of his jaw that were tensed now relaxed.

Jill hung up the phone and walked over to them. Her eyebrows were furrowed and a look of great concern presented on her beautiful porcelain like face.

"Claire what happened? We tried calling you but you didn't answer and when we came in we found you on the floor acting as if someone was attacking you." Jill asked worriedly.

Claire placed a hand on Chris's firm chest as a sign that she was okay. He immediately let her go as she began to sit up slowly; his hands lingered around slightly incase she fell.

"I…don't exactly know. I think I was dreaming."

Chris frowned, his forehead wrinkling. "That sure didn't _look_ like just dreaming Claire."

"What did it look like then Chris?" Claire asked dryly. She should know better herself what she was doing shouldn't she?

_Of course, it was just a dream, a very vivid dream. Everyone has them. _She told herself and found herself rubbing her arm suddenly. There was a light burning sensation. She frowned and looked at it and instantly her breath caught in her throat. There was a small red mark on her arm where in her dream she had pinched herself in an attempt to wake herself.

_People often do things they do in their dreams too, _she reminded herself scowling slightly at the fact that she almost believed she hadn't dreamed and instead thought something else. It was ridiculous.

"I don't know…it just scared me; us."

Claire felt her lips twitch into a smile; his words were another understatement. She had seen the paleness of his face, the clearness of his wide blue eyes when she had woken. He (_the oh so great and unafraid Chris Redfield_, she thought sardonically) had been truly terrified.

"Sorry," Claire said apologetically.

Chris's expression altered and it looked like he forced himself to appear irritated and not terrified to death like he had been a few seconds ago. "Way to give us a near heart attack." He grumbled half-heartedly annoyed.

Jill rolled her eyes, "Claire maybe you should see a doctor incase it's more serious. Better safe than sorry." She suggested calmly.

Claire shook her head stubbornly. She didn't want to go through all that; a long day of check-ups for the doctor just to tell her that she needed to get more sleep, stop stressing, and eat more; same old story.

"I'm fine." She insisted and because they all knew her stubborn personality, she wasn't about to bend on the matter. "I just need to take some medicine and get some rest."

Chris opened his mouth to argue but Claire quickly cut him off. "No arguing Chris. I'm a big girl now, I can decide when my condition is serious or not."

The male's lips pressed together in a thin line. He didn't look at all happy about the situation. She could see the creases across his forehead that displayed his extreme concern for her. She didn't want to worry him; _them. _In any case what would she tell them? She had a not-so-dream that she was back in the past? They'd send her directly to a mental hospital. _Thanks but no thanks_, she thought sarcastically to herself. And anyways she wasn't exactly sure what it was that she had just experienced.

"Would you like me to spend the night with you?" He asked then concerned etching his every word.

Claire was touched by the question. She smiled ever so softly and shook her head. "No, seriously Chris I'm _fine._" She inserted a little laugh that rang beautifully despite her sudden tiredness. She wanted nothing more to go to sleep; oh and ponder about what happened, of course.

Chris seemed like he didn't believe her act but Jill (_good ole' understanding Jill_) stepped in then.

"She seems fine now Chris. I think _we're_ stressing her out now." Jill added a laugh herself; it was a soft, soothing laugh that more or less seemed to distract Chris for a few seconds as he dazed out to admire it. Jill didn't laugh as much after all. She was the calm and cool one in the group but when she did laugh it certainly caught people's attention.

"I don't know. I don't like it." Chris grumbled stubbornly. Everyone did say stubbornness was a Redfield trait; the two Redfields snorted and scoffed when told that despite it's honestly.

Jill patted his shoulder comfortingly. "I'll stay with her then. You're in dire need of sleep. Don't think I haven't noticed; you're always the last in the building doing paperwork."

"I'm fine," The Redfield male insisted stubbornly suddenly sounding like Claire did a few minutes ago. The thought amused Claire.

"No buts Redfield. You worked on our break too; don't think I forgot." Jill replied and her words held a silent warning in them – don't listen and I'll report it.

Chris sighed; it was a very tired sigh. "Fine…" He mumbled in reluctance.

Jill smiled and nodded at Claire giving her a wink. Claire smiled back although it was somewhat weak; she was glad Chris was going to go home seeing as he really did need sleep – he looked like a wreck but she wasn't sure she wanted Jill hanging around; she really just wanted to be alone.

_Oh what the hell...it'll be like a girl's sleepover_, Claire thought amused. God knows she hadn't had one in a long time.

Chris then said his goodbyes to them; a goodnight hug to Jill and Claire and a mutter telling them to call him for anything all while they insisted they would be fine. When he was finally gone, Claire brushed a few strands of her hair back heading towards the kitchen.

"Would you like some coffee or tea Jill?" She asked.

"Sure, coffee would be great."

Claire headed into the kitchen and poured water in the coffee maker and set it up. When she was finished she headed into the living room where Jill was looking at the family picture frame. Her gray eyes were slightly wistful taking in all the Redfield's faces and expressions in the old photo.

"It's an old family photo; one of the last ones before our parents passed away." Claire said glancing down at the said photo herself. She felt like she had memorized every detail of the photo.

"You and Chris look so young." Jill mused with a smile.

"He was around seventeen in it."

Jill nodded taking once last glance at the photo and placing it back on the drawer where she had found it. Claire heard the sudden beeping of the coffee maker signaling that the coffee was done. She got up and headed over to the kitchen preparing them two cups. She was bound to sleep even less with the caffeine.

Claire headed over and handed Jill her cup. Jill thanked her and gave her a brief smile. The two sat down then; Jill sat on a small couch that fit only one person while Claire sat on the only big couch she had in her apartment.

"You don't have to babysit me, Jill." Claire commented blowing a bit in her cup before taking a small sip. The warm, caffeinated liquid slid easily down her throat and warmed her insides.

Jill gave her a pointed look, "Claire I'm not babysitting you; I'm being company. And anyways if I hadn't offered Chris wouldn't have left and he needs sleep horribly."

Claire agreed silently. She knew her brother was pushing himself just as hard. After everything he had done he deserved a break but he refused to take it.

"You two look great." She mumbled then absently.

Jill blinked taken off guard by the comment. "Come again?"

Claire shook her head smiling, "Oh nothing." She didn't want to make it obvious that she was aware of the feelings the two so obviously held for the other. It wasn't her business to pry either.

Jill pressed her lips together, an eyebrow slightly furrowed. She didn't look like she believed Claire but she seemed to let it go. At any rate Claire looked just as tired as Chris did; she needed to sleep.

"You need to get some sleep." Jill insisted noticing the bags under Claire's eyes. She had hoped Jill wouldn't have noticed.

"I know." She sighed.

Jill took a sip out of her drink. Her light eyes were staring back at the photo again. Claire got the feeling she was staring at Chris in it – more precisely the smile he was giving off. He didn't smile like that anymore; then again neither of them did. The things they faced in their past had done its damage.

"He's doing better now. He was really down during your supposed death." Claire added although 'really down' was probably not the right words for it; he had been torn. He hadn't expressed it easily but Claire knew her brother all too well and from the phone calls – she could tell right away from his voice that he wasn't taking it well.

Jill nodded looking down at the liquid in her cup. Something about her eyes made Claire think that she was thinking about Chris at the moment.

"Jill," Claire started and the ex-S.T.A.R.S female immediately looked up, her attention focused solely on Claire, "If…you could alter the past…would you?"

She felt stupid for asking such a question. The words just stumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them. She couldn't go back in the past so it was idiotic to be even bringing it up. It bugged her though. She couldn't get the idea out of her mind.

Jill paused and she seemed to be contemplating an answer. "I think everyone would want to change the mistakes in their past; its normal. But I think that things happen for a reason and it's not up to us to alter them."

She was right. Claire knew it and yet her heart didn't want to listen.

"Why do you ask?" Jill inquired, tilting her head.

"No reason," She mumbled with a shrug.

She was suddenly very tired.

"I think I'm going to go to bed… Um, do you want to have my bed and I'll take the couch?" She offered kindly.

Jill shook her head, "No, I'm fine with the big couch. I'm not taking your bed." She insisted.

Claire was too tired to argue and agreed. She grabbed a blanket for Jill and they said their goodnights. She headed to the bathroom then and brushed her teeth. There was a slight pounding in her head beginning to form warning her of upcoming headache attacks. She took two pills of the medication and went to her room.

She sighed stretching her limbs tiredly and slipped into the blankets of the bed. She counted in her head until the waiting pain started. She only got to the number six when it started.

_Thump, thump, thump._

The auburn haired woman rubbed her temples trying to soothe the pain. It was ironic that when she finally could sleep – she was having headache pains. The thumping in her head increased and she gave a few short gasps in pain. Those damn pills weren't working! She groaned grabbing her pillow and covering her head. She could hear her racing heart beat in her head; the pounding loud and fast.

_Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump._

Her vision spun out of control and she gave a strangled cry before blackening out.

* * *

When she came to she was in a pink colored bed; a twin bed. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She was in her room but everything was different. The walls were plastered with posters and her bed sheets were she noted _pink_. She glanced down at her body and realized she was back in her little girl body.

_Another dream?_ Claire thought.

She quickly slipped out of her covers and walked downstairs. Her parents were in the kitchen appearing to be getting their things to leave. Something about this seemed like déjà vu to her. She stopped in front of her parents watching them smile at each other and exchange words with each other peacefully.

"Mom…dad?" Claire called, her voice high pitched.

The two Redfields turned around hearing Claire's voice. Her mother smiled and walked over giving Claire a hug. It was warm and she found herself not wanting to let go.

"Dear, we were just about to go out to eat. The neighbors are going to watch you while we're gone, okay? She smiled affectionately.

Claire found herself suddenly asking, "What day and month is it today?"

Her parents both looked at her strangely. "The seventeenth of January, of course."

After hearing that answer, Claire felt her throat go dry. She swallowed in an attempt to help. It was the date of her parent's death.

"Well, we're off Claire. Be good." Her father said patting her head briefly.

The two then opened the door and began to head out. Claire felt her lips part to say something but found that nothing could come out; her throat was too dry. She felt water come into her eyes and did the one thing little kids do: cry. She cried and cried until her parents heard her and rushed quickly back to her.

"Claire, honey, what's wrong?" Her mother asked with her eyebrows furrowing down in concern.

"D-don't go!" The little girl whimpered.

Her parents exchanged looks then. Her father nodded and her mother held Claire to her chest, cooing and attempting to calm her down.

"Alright, we'll go another time." Mrs. Redfield mumbled softly.

Claire clung to her mother and felt relief. She had stopped it. Her parents weren't going to get in a car accident – she had finally done something right.

"Now head up to bed alright? It's late after all."

She felt weird. She felt like a little girl despite knowing she most definitely wasn't. She definitely didn't cry and whine but she probably did when she was younger. In a sense it felt like the older Claire was inside the younger Claire observing and reacting – although the younger Claire had her moments here and there to react like the whole crying scene; she hadn't planned to convince them to stay _that_ way.

Claire nodded then and headed upstairs content with that response. The moment she slipped into the covers though the throbbing pain returned. She gasped loudly and winced in pain; her body convulsed in pain, her breaths raced, and her heart pounded furiously in her chest. It didn't take as long as it normally did for her to fall unconscious.

* * *

Claire awoke and sat up quickly in her bed. Everything was back to normally. She was back in her regular body. She glanced down at her hands and closed them.

_That __**wasn't**__ a dream, _she concluded.

Her eyes directed then suddenly to a picture frame beside her bed. Her eyes widened upon seeing it and she quickly grabbed it holding it close. It was an updated family photo – except this one her parents were much older and Claire and Chris looked exactly as they did now.

_I…did it… _she thought shocked.

She had saved her parents. Now all she had to do was to save Sherry and Steve – then everything would be perfect.

Claire slipped out of her bed and rushed into the living room. She called Jill's name but was surprised to see Jill was no where to be in sight. She was confused by this. Had Jill left early? It was still late by what the hanging clock said; it was barely two in the morning.

She shrugged and headed into her bathroom suddenly having to use it. After flushing the toilet she sighed and looked in the mirror absently. It was then that she shrieked in horror stumbling back. The woman in the mirror most definitely was her and yet wasn't. One half of her face looked exactly as she remembered but the other half was burned and deformed badly; the skin was melted and wrinkled grotesquely, and her once beautiful blue eye without color and ugly. She reached up a hand to touch the skin as if wondering maybe she was hallucinating. She wasn't. She could feel the rough texture underneath her smooth fingertips. Her scarred skin oddly reminded her of a sweet potato that was blistered in fire. She blinked but only one eye blinked and the other stared back lifelessly.

_What's going on?_

She was frightened. She wasn't supposed to look like this. She felt like she was in another body.

Her hands began to tremble and she grabbed the medication bottle. She then quickly walked back into her room and slipped under the covers of the bed. The medicine helped her sleep too; she just wanted to go to sleep and wake up to her normal life. This _had_ to be a dream. Without thinking, Claire swallowed three pills this time eager to fall asleep and she felt the light-headedness kick in. It was like floating; that same feeling from earlier. It felt nice; calming even.

_Just a dream, just a dream,_ she chanted to herself.

She barely noticed the pounding in her head instead focusing on the high feeling; it distracted her from everything else. Stars seemed to flash past her eyes and she deliriously tried to touch them.

_Pretty,_ was her last thought before she slipped into the dark abyss.

* * *

"Claire?" A male voice called.

"Claire!" A high pitched girl's voice called as well.

Claire slowly opened her eyes, her vision blurred. Her head was spinning and she felt like someone had spun her around and around a hundred times. The feeling in her stomach was upsetting and she felt like throwing up.

"What…." She mumbled hazily.

"You're okay. I was so worried." The girl's voice whined.

Her vision finally cleared and Claire found herself staring into the eyes of Sherry Birkin and Leon S. Kennedy. She wet her lips and her throat felt extremely dry – like Sahara desert. She groaned and shook her head trying to focus. She was with Sherry and Leon; they were on the railroad tracks – she knew this part. It was the part where she left the two to find her brother Chris.

"I'm fine," She said for what felt like the millionth time.

Leon held his hand to her and she took it allowing him to help her up. His hand was bigger, warmer than she thought. She released his hand quickly afterwards and turned her attention to Sherry. The two were watching her expectantly – waiting.

"I have to go find my brother Chris." She said.

Leon looked at her for a few seconds and then looked away. She could have sworn she saw what looked like disappointment and a bit of anger flash in his eyes. Had she noticed that reaction before? His voice even sounded different.

"Then go find him." He stated simply.

Sherry was standing beside Leon now. Her expression was sad but there appeared to be understanding in her big doe like eyes. It was as if she knew all along that it would come to this.

Claire shook her head. She had decided to do things differently this time around now that she could. "I'm dropping by home first. Sherry would you like to come home with me?"

Sherry's eyes widened and surprise came across her face. "You…want me to come?" She asked confused.

Claire nodded her head and Sherry quickly dashed to Claire's side; her eyes were lit up and a radiant smile blossomed across her lips. Claire looked up to Leon who was standing in front of them – tall. Even from his stance it expressed his by-the-book nature.

"I'm going to drop her with a trusted friend while I go find Chris. After he's found I'm going to come back to her." Claire detailed as if she thought Leon would question her.

His eyes seemed suspicious for a bit as if doubting her but the look faded away all too quickly. "Understood. Good luck then."

Claire hesitantly turned away holding Sherry's hand and walked away leaving Leon behind. She wondered what fate awaited him now. The government now had no means to force him to be an agent so maybe he would continue his life as a cop like now.

The two walked and walked for what seemed like hours until they came across a gas station. Claire glanced up ahead and noticed a black Harley parked with the key in the ignition. Luck was on her side.

"Come on," She urged to Sherry and the two ran quickly over to the motorcycle.

She helped Sherry get on and handed her the one helmet strapped on the side. She swung her feet over and sat on the front of the bike. She proceeded to turn the key in the ignition and the motorcycle roared to life.

"Hang on tight." Claire ordered to Sherry. The blonde girl nodded and wrapped her arms around Claire's stomach tight.

Claire started to back up in the driveway when she saw a big, burly bald man come out yelling and running over to them. She quickly turned revving up the engine and the motorcycle, roaring, sped out of sight.

"Sorry, I'll give it back one day!" Claire yelled back over the rumbling sound of the motorcycle.

The wind hit their faces as they rode and it felt good. Claire loved riding motorcycles – especially Harleys; she thought about the one she had left back in Raccoon city and it disappointed her that she probably would never see it again. The engine roared as they rode down the somewhat empty street. At least she didn't have to avoid any cars. She found herself smiling and she heard Sherry giggling behind her in enjoyment. She joined her in laughter.

* * *

A woman a little older than Claire opened the door. She was a petite girl with cinnamon brown eyes and black, layered hair with highlights. She was an attractive woman, and she appeared to hold herself with an air of confidence with the way she stood tall, her chest pushed out. She instantly smiled upon seeing Claire and hugged her.

"Redfield! What are you up to?"

Claire smiled at her friend and Sherry hid behind Claire shyly. "Nothing much Regina. I need you to do me a favor."

Regina looked at her questioning and then down at the little girl behind her. "You got a kid?" She raised an eyebrow.

"That's the favor – can you watch her for a couple of days. I have to go out of state and I can't take her."

"This about your brother?"

Claire nodded her head. She had told her friend about her missing brother. The two had met up in college and became quick and close friends. She trusted Regina. Regina had never done anything for her to lose that trust either; she was a true friend. She was sure Sherry would be in the best of care under the other woman.

The brown eyed girl crossed her arms and tapped her fingers on her arm, "You owe me. Big time."

"I know."

"Alright, I'll watch her."

Claire smiled; she knew she could trust her. "Thanks."

She then kneeled down by Sherry. "Sherry I'm going now but I'll be back for you. I'm leaving you with Regina here. She'll take good care of you okay?" She added with her voice soft.

Sherry nodded quietly and hugged the older woman. "Okay. I'll be waiting."

Claire stood up then and said her goodbyes. She walked outside of the apartment complex. She felt a bit dizzy. Her head began to hurt. It felt different this time. The pain was agonizingly slow. Suddenly Claire felt the stirring in her stomach start up and she began throwing up. Whatever she had eaten before came flying up her throat and splattered onto the ground. She placed her hands on her knees bending over as she discarded what had unsettled her stomach so. She felt her throat burning painfully from the strain as she coughed up more; her body hunching upwards with every spit out. Her lungs felt tightly squeezed and she felt like she couldn't catch her breath. She gagged wanting more than anything to stop it and yet more came rushing out. The liquid was brown and there were chunks of unknown objects mixed in along with some blood. She winced and wiped her mouth when she was finished. She felt terribly sick. Her body was drained completely but she couldn't give up just yet – not when she was so close to fixing everything.

"Damn," She cursed under her breath.

She didn't know what was happening to her but at that moment she couldn't care less. She had to go to Paris, get caught and transported to Rockfort Island and save Steve from his impending death. She couldn't sit around feeling sick – not when she was _so_ close.

_I can do it, _she thought to herself standing up straight. Her throat burned, her body ached and refused to comply, and her mouth desperately wanted something to drink to get rid of the aftertaste but she pushed her body forward ignoring it all. She didn't get too far when the sudden agonizingly sharp pain ran through her head pricking like a thousand needles and she fell forward unable to keep going.

_

* * *

_

I have to keep going…I have to save Steve…

"Claire….Claire….damnit, this isn't exactly the best time to be sleeping!" A deep voice with a hint of boyishness cursed.

She felt big hands on her shoulders shaking a little rough. Everything was black though, she couldn't make anything out. She heard shuffling sounds and sudden eerie moaning sounds. Suddenly the hands on her shoulders were gone and there was the sound of gunshots heard so close to her that the sound pounded in her ears. She winced as the strong smell of gunpowder filled her nose. Her eyelids fluttered briefly before she slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was spinning and she couldn't make out anything yet. Claire groaned and sat up slowly closing her eyes to try to stop the spinning. Her head hurt badly and her body ached terribly as if she had been running for hours.

"About time you woke up. I thought I was going to have to carry your _heavy_ self around." The male snorted; there was sarcasm in his voice.

Claire recognized the voice but she didn't know from where; her head was too delirious at the moment for her to comprehend. She shook her head breathing deeply and forcing herself to focus. Her eyes opened then and her vision was cleared along with her head. She felt herself freeze and her breath catch in her throat when she spotted who had just very much insulted her.

There he stood – reloading his gun after shooting what appeared a couple of lone zombies, and was looking at her expectantly waiting for her to give back a witty retort to his insult. When he realized she wasn't going to, his dark brow raised looking her up and down as if to check her body for damage – or he could have just been checking her out; she wasn't sure.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." He commented; his voice slightly teasing as it had been upon their first meeting.

It was him.

"Steve…," She breathed.

**

* * *

**

**End part II**

**Author Note:** I know; horrible way to leave you guys. Sorry! This part was already going on sixteen pages and I didn't want it to go on forever. This story wasn't planning on being long either way.

And concerning Leon's reaction to Claire; it seemed like in Claire's epilogue that he was angry from his response so I decided to interpret it that he was mad/disappointed that she was going to leave him and Sherry. I'm not altering his characterization so that he's a bad guy - I actually like him...somewhat.

Oh and **reviews are love**. xD


	3. Part III

**Special Blabber: **Enter Steve Burnside….and Claire Redfield. Yeah. I'm going to try to juggle chapters between this one and my other Resident Evil one; it's a bit harder than I thought. Urk.

_**Disclaimer**__ – _Silly rabbit, Resident Evil is owned by Capcom.

* * *

**Between The Lines**

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**Part III**

.

"_So, take my hands and come with me – we will change reality." –Animal Instinct; The Cranberries_

* * *

Claire jumped up with newfound strength that she didn't know she had, and embraced Steve. His form stumbled back due to obvious surprise. Her arms wrapped around his back and she pressed her body against his chest. She could feel the warmth radiating from his body along with feeling the built and firm muscles of his chest.

"It's real…," She mumbled under her breath; her voice sounded slightly delirious.

There was hesitation from Steve. She felt his arms lingering in the air unsure of how to act. She felt strong hands on her shoulders and found herself being pushed away – gently albeit. She wasn't sure if the disappointment etched across her face but she certainly felt it. She dared a glance at him taking in everything about him from his expression to his form. His face was turned to the side, his brow slightly furrowed whether in irritation or contemplation she wasn't sure. There was a faint glow in his cheeks but it could have mostly been due to the coldness radiating from the base. His stance was a bit defensive – he was standing at a distance from her now, and his hands were shoved in the pocket of his camouflage jeans. Claire reminded herself that he was still young, being only seventeen and his experience with girls was probably lacking. She fought the sudden twitching in her lips in which a rather knowing smile would have spread.

"What the hell was that?" He scoffed and rubbed the bridge of his nose; everything about him – his actions, his words screamed awkwardness at the moment. She was sure he was trying hard to hide it. She was older than him albeit it was only two years and yet he was determined to act as her protector – or "shinning knight in armor" as he called it. She was hardly a princess though and he was hardly a knight.

"Nothing," She laughed heartedly. It was the same laugh she had given when she gave him the automatic guns in exchange for his golden lugers for him to find out all too late that the guns she had given him were empty; a sort of knowing and secretive laugh of her own.

Steve glowered at her and he suddenly aimed his gun at her. She froze in her tracks thinking that he was just trying to scare her for laughing at his expense but the gun going off scared her half to death. She jumped almost out of her skin and realized then that he had merely shot a zombie that had snuck up behind her. The auburn haired girl turned to face to him and saw a cocky grin spread across the red haired male's lips as if he got the last laugh – and in reality he did.

"Jesus! You could have killed me!" Claire chided.

"I wouldn't have. I have better aim than that." Steve replied back confidently.

"At least you're good for something." She mumbled sarcastically and made her way past him. Her shoulder brushed against his chest in the process and she couldn't deny the jolt of electricity that ran down her spine. She didn't think she remembered feeling as such back then. Sure, she had almost admitted on several occasions to herself of being attracted to the brash young prisoner but her feelings were less of the magnitude of his for her – if he truly did love her like he had confessed to before his death.

Claire came across the steel door and opened it. She found herself unceremoniously thrown back by the sudden heavy breeze of the snowstorm coming from outside. She held her ground and Steve was by her side instantly.

"It's a snowstorm." He stated the obvious. He had a tendency to do that she thought to herself with a small smile.

She pushed her body forward and fell into inches of snow. The instant coldness hit her body and numbed her from head to toe. She shuddered and held her gun in front of her ready despite the chattering of her teeth. She knew the Nosferatu was going to appear and they would have to take it out. She prepared herself to take the lead but Steve was already in front of her walking ahead fearlessness or recklessly – whichever. She called his name to warn him but suddenly there was a loud screeching sound and Claire felt a body hit the pure, white snow with a thump. The creation looked still as grotesquely as she remembered. Its body was a lifeless gray with rotting flesh (the cold breeze more or less covered the strong putrid stench thankfully) and had brown straps with spikes protruding from them strapped all around its deformed body. The same type of straps covered its eyes and she wasn't sure if that detail made him stronger or weaker. Long spider like arms (three to be precise) protruded from its body ready to attack or throw things with its strength.

"What the fuck?" Steve exclaimed taking aim immediately and wasted no time in setting fire. The shots hit the Nosferatu dead on and it screeched loudly falling back briefly before regaining stance and swinging its spider like arms.

Claire and Steve dodged out of the way and they both released rounds of gunfire. The undead creature wailed and Claire remembered the fuel tank up ahead beside it and shot it. The tank exploded loudly and bursts of flame shot out and the creature was rendered unconscious for the time being she now knew. It would only be a matter of time before it awoke even angrier than before. She looked up trying to spot the crane and hook and found it.

"Come on!" She ordered lowering her gun and began to run.

She stopped and took her aim carefully at the wire holding the crane. She shot it precisely and the crane with the hook loosened and began to swing back and forth like a pendulum. It was then that a loud, terrifying cry warned them that the Nosferatu was indeed not dead. Claire took a step back and bumped into Steve who was observing the hook and realizing her plan. She looked up at him briefly and he met her gaze with his gray eyes that reminded her of cool mirrors – at the moment they did anything but make her feel cold (_why is it that I can't stop staring at him,_ she thought absentminded). The moment was broken immediately when the loud _thump _echoed and the Nosferatu was up ahead ready to attack once again. The two aimed but it immediately grabbed a nearby broken door and threw it at them. Claire, who had fallen into the snow face down to avoid being hit, rolled over to her back holding a hand to her head. She saw the shadow on the ground and then rapid gunshots bursting into the creature's skin; blood spurted from its body and splattered on the ground seeming to taint the clean, pure white snow. If anything it made her clearly aware of how red the blood truly was in contrast to the white snow.

Steve cursed under his breath continuing his shooting until he used up all his rounds and had to pause to reload. Claire stood up immediately and took over while he did so. The Nosferatu cried out as the bullets hit it and it staggered backwards off the snowy edge (that lead to a lower part of the snow) and downwards. She didn't hesitate to follow it by jumping down herself and sidestepping so that she was out of the hooks way. A few more shots kept it busy until the hook returned and stabbed itself deep into the stomach of the Nosferatu. It hissed in pain and cried out eerily as its body was dragged up and down with the hook and crane, every second the hook digging itself more into its body with blood squirting downwards from its body gruesomely. Suddenly its body limped and it was dead – as dead as something undead could possibly be.

Claire released a breath and lowered her gun. They weren't hurt luckily despite the first time neither of them being either. She took more of the lead this time around and it was more out of her self-sacrificing nature to keep Steve out of harm's way. It was because she knew his fate that she did everything she could to prevent it. She realized then in the past she had let him play the hero part as he so eagerly wanted to and she had let him because his enthusiasm had been touching but this time around she couldn't allow the comfort of his reckless protection; it was too risky. Death lay at every corner for him.

"Claire!" Steve called as he slipped down to her level. He approached her and she watched him closely. He stood close to her despite how the moments between them recently had been slightly tension filled. He admired her handy work with a grin and then his eyes looked past her to the abandoned snowmobile up ahead. It would be there that they would be separated by Alexia and his fate would prove to lead him to his inevitable and tragic death.

"It's a snowmobile. Let's go!" Steve exclaimed running past her towards her.

She didn't hesitate to run after him. Her dash was more desperate than eager as his had been.

"Steve wait!" She cried out reaching him on the same side of the snowmobile he was at. He was already looking inside the windows of the snowmobile curiously.

"Our lucky day, the key is in it."

Claire pursed her lips facing the opposite direction where she knew the tentacles would appear and drag them. Steve was obviously looking still inside in the windows but suddenly turned realizing Claire's defensive stance. She had reached into her shoulder holster and now held her brother's blade in her hands as she spotted the upcoming tentacles appearance. Her hands felt sweaty and her heart pounded furiously in her chest.

"Claire what—" Steve stopped as he noticed the tentacles and they suddenly tried to wrap themselves around his legs. Claire slashed the knife downwards that had wrapped around his legs and the loose ends fell to the ground, wiggling around aimlessly.

"Steve get in!" Claire ordered; her voice assertive.

Steve did as he told and quickly opened the doors of the snowmobile and jumped inside. He held the door open for Claire in which she proceeded to slam the door shut behind her with her back. She heard Steve's muffled yell through the snowstorm and the snowmobile but his words didn't register. She found the tentacles wrapped around her legs and she screamed feeling them squeezing at her ankles; her weapon dropped soon after. She flailed her arms aimlessly in the air as the tentacles held her up. Steve's cry directed her attention and she spotted him appearing to try to open the door near her side.

_Damnit, _she thought to herself.

It couldn't end like this.

Claire forced her body downward to where her discarded weapon was and grabbed it and slashed at the tentacles around her legs. Blood squirted on her cheeks and she fell to the ground face down. There was a hissing sound before the green tentacles drew back abruptly and all was silent. Her body throbbed as she pushed herself up and stared at the direction where the tentacles had disappeared to. It wasn't the end she knew but at least things were altered now. She could prevent this.

"Claire!" Steve called out finally opening the door.

She slipped in slamming the door shut behind her and, more than likely paranoid of her, locking the door. She released a breath she didn't know she had been holding and tried to calm down her racing heart. Her teeth chattered with coldness and she rubbed her arms in an attempt to warm herself.

"Are you alright?" Steve inquired concerned.

Claire turned towards him and smiled a rather weak smile. She was surprised to find the back of his hand against her cheek and a jolt of heat ran down her body at the press of skin against skin. His hand was cold too but there was still surprising warmth radiating from his skin; it was definitely warmer than her at the moment.

"You have blood on your cheeks." He mumbled observing her.

Claire felt herself color and she wasn't entirely sure if it was all from the cold. "It's nothing…" She replied back lamely and proceeded to wipe the blood away with her black fingerless gloves.

Same answer as usual.

Steve drew back his hand and started up the snowmobile. She was almost relieved at the fact that he had now directed his attention elsewhere. He placed his hand on the gear and was ready to set it into drive when Claire immediately stopped him.

"We can't leave yet. We have to go back."

Steve questioned rather confused, "Back? Where?"

To the place where her brother Chris and Alexia were waiting.

But before she could answer him there was a loud thumping sound and the snowmobile was slammed upside down. The two teenagers screamed in horror as they were flipped upside down. Claire felt her head smack against the ceiling and she winced feeling her head throb in pain from the hit. She quickly glanced over at Steve to find him in the same predicament. It was then she noticed the green tentacles having returned and seemed to be determined to finish with what they started. Claire quickly unlocked her door as she felt the snowmobile being lifted in the air. She opened the door and grabbed Steve's hand tightly before jumping out and dragging him with her. She heard his yell of surprise echo in her ears as they crashed into the snowy ground. She fell on her back with Steve landing shortly on top of her and had the situation been less dangerous since they were under attack it would have made an extremely awkward situation indeed. Steve immediately upon realizing his position pushed himself off to the side rubbing a hand to his neck slightly awkward. Claire sat up just in time to see the snowmobile dropped and it crashed into the ground with a loud sound. Instantly fire appeared and the flames flickered and burned. The appearance and stench of heavy smoke soon following after.

The tentacles upon realizing Claire and Steve had escape directed their attention to them. Claire quickly stood to her feet and grabbed Steve's hand yanking him up with her; he appeared still dazed.

"Run for it!" She exclaimed pulling him along as she began to dash. He seemed to finally get the picture and ran along with her. She half expected him to pull his hand away sharply and was surprised to find he held her hand back - warmth spreading through the contact.

The tentacles appeared in front of them and Steve instantly drew his weapon with his free hand and shot off a bullet. It wiggled around again and he shot the other ones that appeared. For whatever reason they drew back finally again, leaving Claire and Steve stranded in a snowstorm. Claire released a heavy breath and tried to calm down her racing heart. She glanced over at Steve who was lowering his weapon and directed his attention to her.

"I don't know what _that_ was but we better keep moving before it gets lonely again and comes back." He said with sarcasm ringing in his voice.

Claire drew her hand away awkwardly from Steve's grasp and used it to brush a loose strand of her hair that had fallen in her face. It was cold, really cold. She held her hands together then and attempted to blow on them with her breath in an attempt to warm them up a bit. It was sad to say it didn't help much – if any. Her tight fitting red vest and short black t-shirt did nothing to assuage the situation seeing as the black shirt left all of her stomach exposed to the cold, biting breeze.

Steve upon noticing Claire's shuddering body did something that sincerely touched her. He offered her his blue top. She blinked as he took off the big blue shirt leaving him only in the yellow sleeveless undershirt underneath and held it out to her. Hesitation etched across her face as she eyed the clothing item. Just looking at him without the shirt made her even colder – she couldn't possibly take it away from him.

"Just take it. You'll be useless as a popsicle." Steve insisted.

She took the clothing item reluctantly and placed it on top of her red vest. It was bigger than her clothing; it covered her body a little past the buckle of her jeans leaving some comfort to her now covered stomach. The sleeves drooped as well making less restriction for movements unlike her clothing.

"Thank you," She murmured in gratitude.

Steve nodded briefly and was staring up ahead in concentration. The breeze blew in and his messy firey strands of hair moved with the wind. His cheeks were glowing lightly and his lips parted to release a breath that made clouded smoke appear due to the low temperature. She could clearly see the shaping of his strong arms better now that he wasn't wearing the blue over shirt. They appeared muscular and firm and she spotted the barcode tattoo on his arm. It obviously wasn't enough for the prisoners to be wearing a neckband with their prisoner number but also needed a barcode tattoo to track them. She concluded that the prison on Rockfort Island was very, _very_ strange.

"Let's go."

Claire was about to agree when she doubled over in pain. Her head was throbbing furiously and she felt vomit trying to come up her throat agonizingly slow. The spinning in her head was uncontrollable; white stars seemed to flash past her eyes as she tried to focus on her now blurring surroundings. She heard Steve's voice echo in her head – he was calling her name; his low, baritone voice was filled with concern. The floating feeling returned in her head and it felt this time instead like she was falling – falling slowly and slowly into a deep abyss. A final breath released from her lips before she gave into the darkness that pulled her in.

* * *

Claire awoke gasping for air. Her chest heaved up and down in heavy breaths. Sweat dripped down the sides of her forehead and she felt her clothing stick to her skin due to the sweating in other parts of her body. Her eyes darted around warily and noticed her room appearing for the most part the same. The sun was warming up the sky outside she noticed from her bedroom window. It appeared a little nearing the afternoon. She slipped out of her covers almost dashing into the bathroom feeling fear stir in the bottom of her stomach. A quick glance in the mirror showed her that her face wasn't damaged like the last time. She sighed in relief and allowed her fingertips to touch the perfectly soft skin of her face. A sudden bright smile came across her lips and she walked out of her room heading to her phone. She didn't miss the newly taken photo of the Redfields with big smiles on the coffee table.

The auburn haired woman dialed Chris's number and on about the third ring he answered.

"Chris," She greeted jovially, "How are you bro?"

There was a brief pause, she figured out of disbelief at the bright tone of her voice. "Claire…?"

"Yes, it's me; who else would it be?" She teased.

She heard shuffling sounds, "Okay…who are you and what have you done with my sister?"

Claire laughed heartedly. She realized she probably sounded bizarre, even to herself. The realization that everything was finally perfect made her in such a good mood. Umbrella was defeated, Wesker was dead, her parents were alive, Sherry was safe, and now Steve was alive too. She had finally managed to do everything right.

"Can't I be in a good mood once?" She inquired with a smile.

"I guess…" Chris muttered sounding still suspicious.

"Anyways, I'm going to call our parents now. Talk to you later?"

Chris made a sound that sounded like an "mm" and they said their goodbyes. Claire ended the call and then searched through her phone. She came across a number listed under home and made the call. It rang for two rings before a feminine voice answered. Claire's breath caught in her throat.

"Hello?"

Claire finally broke out of her trance then. "Mother?" She breathed.

"Oh Claire, sweetheart, everything alright?"

"Yes, I just wanted to call to…check up on you both." _To hear your voice, _she mentally added to herself. It felt so surreal.

"Are you coming over for a visit?" Her mother asked pleasantly.

"I'd love to." Claire replied back but then stopped realizing she wasn't exactly sure where they lived. Obviously she still lived in the same apartment but her parents must be living in a house around the area.

"Alright, we'll see you in a few."

"Bye." Claire ended the call and stared at her phone dumbly. She didn't know where to go with this. Certainly asking Chris or her parents where they lived would look suspicious. She had no excuse available either. What would she say? That she went back in time and altered events and now that she was in the current time she had no memory available? They'd never believe her.

Claire sighed and looked to her left noticing a small green address book. She blinked thinking that she couldn't be that lucky – or maybe she could. Upon grabbing the book, she passed the pages until she came upon the one listing their parents' home. It had an address listed and Claire recognized the street. She wrote down the address on a sticky note and grabbed her things along with her car keys. She was in sweats but she really didn't care too much about changing so she decided to change later.

The sun was warm outside but it was humid as well. People were walking down the cement pathways either on the phone or holding an iced coffee. Claire got into her car which happened to be a red Toyota Corolla, model 2004. It was a small car that didn't use much gas mileage and drove with perfect stability. After starting up the car, the radio instantly turned on and played an oldies station; the band Queen came on and she smiled to herself. She placed the gear in reverse and pulled out of the parking then switched the gear to drive and drove off. She placed her seatbelt on during the process and now held both of her hands on the stirring wheel. Unlike her brother who had a known habit of speeding, Claire didn't speed; she wasn't in a rush – she merely glanced around at her peaceful surroundings. After driving a couple of blocks she finally came across the address she had written down. She parked her car in the driveway and stepped out of it.

The house was a small house that was painted a cream color with bright russet colored linings. The grass was a bright green color and numerous colorful flowers were planted along the walkway. There was a big tree in the middle of the yard with its big bark arms stretched out high. Claire admired the yard briefly before walking to the door and knocking on it. She waited a few seconds before the door opened and she was greeted by her mother. The two hugged and Claire watched her mother closely with adoration. She looked older, of course, but for the most part her looks hadn't changed too much aside from the multiple wrinkles and flecks of white hair in her auburn colored hair. She spotted her father coming and she hugged him as well. He appeared just about the same as well. It was safe to say that they had aged well.

"Come in." Her mother ushered her in.

Claire entered the house and she walked along with them into the living room. She took a seat on a big couch along with her mother while her father sat on a cozy chair near them. Her mother smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners, and took Claire's hands in hers. Claire smiled back at her and felt warmth radiate through her body. She was still in shock that this was all real. She was there with her real life parents. She felt her eyes get watery then and she shook her head rubbing the corners of her eyes.

"Are you alright dear?"

Claire laughed softly, "Yes mom, it's nothing." She assured.

"Everything day you look more and more grown." Her mother cooed observing her daughter closely. She flashed a look that could be described as complete mother adoration. Her mother was always the doting parent.

"If you think I look grown then it must be worse for Chris."

Her mother laughed a soft laugh that sounded like silver bells. "He is quite the mature man now. He looks just like your father did at his age." She mused.

Looking back at it Claire realized that he did. Her father and Chris had been alike in many aspects; she never realized it until now. Then again she had been very young and most of her memories had faded.

Claire looked to her left on the table where many picture frames were placed nicely organized. _Still so organized,_ she mused entertained by the thought. Her mother had always been the organized one in the family where her children obviously were lacking in it; they had blamed their father for it seeing as he wasn't any better. One picture in particular caught her eye and she felt her breath catching in her throat. She took the picture frame carefully in her hands and brought it closer to her to take a better look. It was an updated picture of her and Steve. He was behind her and had his arms wrapped around her neck in a loving gesture and she was holding onto his arms as well; the two both had bright smiles across her faces. Claire's fingertips traced the glass over Steve's face mesmerized. She didn't think she'd ever seen him smile like in the photo. It was a smile that quite literally took her breath away.

Claire's mother noticed the photo and a sad expression came across her face. Claire couldn't understand why.

"He was such a kind man. We could all tell he loved you dearly so by the way he always looked at you – it was with complete and utterly devotion." Her mother mumbled.

_Was…? _Claire furrowed an eyebrow at the past tense. In the photo the two appeared in her late twenties or so; almost about the same age Claire was now. Steve looked more mature, older, than previously his seventeen years she had known him during. She was perplexed unless…

_No… _She dared not believe the only possible reason that was left. She refused to believe it. It couldn't be possible. She had made sure that wasn't possible.

"He was going to propose to you that day," Her mother paused then more than likely stumbling over how to put it delicately, "when some men with guns jumped him and shot him to death running away with the ring. It truly is tragic."

Claire dropped the picture frame and it came crashing to the floor. The glass shattered in a crashing sound that echoed in the house. She felt with it her heart was broken – shattered exactly like the glass in the frame. In a million pieces.

"Claire..," Her mother reached out to Claire concerned. Claire immediately stood up stumbling back. Her eyes were wide in horror as she stared down at the photo. Ironically the line cracked so that it separated both Steve and Claire in the photo. She felt sick. She felt like crying and screaming to the skies. Life was truly unfair.

"I have to go." She said finally and dashed outside without another word. Her mother's calling was heard but she ignored it and headed to her car. She couldn't face it – she just couldn't. Quickly turning on the engine, Claire pulled out of the driveway and headed off.

She drove down the roads but her eyes got watery, and she felt tears beginning to pour down her cheeks. Her vision blurred by the salty tears, and she had no choice but to pull over on the side of the road. A song came on the radio and upon listening to the lyrics she felt herself began to sob freely.

"_He was going to propose to you that day,"_

"_We could all tell he loved you dearly so by the way he always looked at you – it was with complete and utterly devotion."_

It hurt; it hurt too much. She felt like someone had stabbed her in the chest. Why couldn't things go perfectly? Why did he keep dying because of _her_? He had first died saving her originally and now in this time he had died because of carrying a ring that was meant for her. It wasn't fair. The guilt and agony were eating her up inside. Why couldn't she stop it even though she was _so_ close? Why – why – why…

She wondered curiously if she would have accepted and if she had how Steve would have looked all dressed up in a black tuxedo standing at the alter waiting for her; how his eyes would light up and look at her as she walked with a look of complete happiness.

"Damnit," She cursed under her breath smacking her fists onto the stirring wheel over and over again. Her fists felt raw from the smacking but she could hardly feel the pain. It felt like her whole body was numb.

"Take me back….take me back damnit!" She cried out shutting her eyes tight and trying to focus. When she felt nothing, she smacked her head against the stirring wheel in frustration and agony. The throbbing pain returned quickly and this time instead she welcomed it.

She got this ability for a definite reason. She was going to use it to the best of her ability to make things better even if it killed her.

Claire groaned sitting back in her seat as the throbbing increased in strength.

_Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump._

A tidal wave of pain hit her and she could do nothing but ride it out.

* * *

"Claire….Claire…" There was shaking on her shoulders.

Claire groaned in pain and slowly her eyelids fluttered opened. She made out Steve's figure then, kneeling down beside her. He was dressed in clothes she realized were from Rockfort and had the familiar prisoner collar around his neck. She sat up slowly and held a hand to her head in pain.

"Steve…" She mumbled softly.

"Are you alright? You just collapsed out of nowhere."

"I'm okay." She assured and allowed him to help her to her feet. Her eyes darted around taking in their surroundings. They were in the old apartment her and Chris used to share.

"Your brother left not too long ago on work duties." Steve explained. "He wasn't too happy about leaving you alone with me and after an hour of threatening me he said he'd call you in a bit to make sure I hadn't done anything to you." He rolled his eyes after his full explanation.

Claire let out a soft laugh. It certainly did sound like Chris and she was sure if he hadn't been called away by work he would have stayed and kept a very close eye on Steve all night. She glanced up at him curiously. He was running a few fingers through his hair appearing absentminded. She wondered then if they got out with him not getting infected.

"Did….Alexia do something to you?" She questioned.

"No, I mean we both got hurt fighting her off but it's just a scratch." He shrugged his broad shoulders.

She sighed in relief. Steve was suddenly observing her with an odd expression that made her slightly uncomfortable – or maybe she was a tad nervous at the attention. He shifted his footing then and placed his hands in the pocket of his jeans.

"I could leave. I don't want to cause any trouble." He said finally.

Claire shook her head. "No, you're not causing me any trouble. Don't worry about Chris. He's just an overprotective brother – even though I'm hardly a little girl anymore."

Steve's lips twitched and she wondered if he was trying to hide a smile at her comment. His eyes were looking out the screen doors that led to a small patio outside. There was something very distant about his expression at that moment. She felt like she was observing a private moment of his; something that she shouldn't be watching.

"Steve..?"

He didn't look at her or respond to her at first. It was quiet for a few seconds before he finally answered her although his glance was still looking away. "I was just wondering….about my parents is all."

Claire gave a concerned look and touched his hand trying to comfort him. "Steve…"

"My mother was gunned down right in front of me. I…couldn't do anything. And then father…I…" His body began to tremble and Claire could feel the agony and guilt radiate from his body. He was so terribly young and yet the things he had experienced – all alone.

Claire pulled him towards her and hugged him tightly; their chests pressed together and his taller frame towered over hers. She felt his hands hesitating again until they finally wrapped around her lower back. He nuzzled in her hair and she felt her heart slightly race in her chest at the action. They stayed in the embrace for a few more seconds before she finally pushed herself away. Her eyes darted up to meet his gaze. Many emotions clouded in his gaze at that moment that she couldn't quite pinpoint one in particular.

"We're in this together Steve, okay?" Claire said softly.

Steve's eyes searched hers before he allowed a small smile to come across his lips. His hand reached out and placed on her cheek. She instantly froze upon the contact and felt her breath catch in her throat. It reminded her oddly of the few moments before his death. Her mind raced with numerous thoughts. He wasn't going to kiss her was he? Her heart fluttered at the thought but he merely murmured thanks and dropped his hand afterwards. She almost immediately missed the warmth that his skin radiated against hers.

"So I guess I'll hit the hay." Steve mumbled rubbing a hand to his neck.

"You can sleep in my bed." Claire commented not realizing how her words sounded. Of course, she had meant he could have her bed seeing as she wasn't in the mood to sleep and probably would spend the night watching television. Anyone especially a young male wouldn't see that meaning however.

Steve raised an eyebrow at her blatant response. Claire backtracked on her words and instantly blushed in embarrassment.

"I meant…I'm not really sleepy so you can have my bed. If I get tired I'll sleep in Chris's bed." She restated.

"Uh…huh…" Steve replied back but the smirk across his lips showed her that he wasn't so convinced. She glowered at him.

"Steve," Claire said in a warning tone clearly not amused.

The red haired male chuckled lowly and Claire realized it was the first time she'd ever heard him laugh like that; an easy, carefree chuckle. "Don't get yourself worked up. I get it."

She didn't believe he really did.

"Well I'll see you in the morning then. Night."

"Night." Claire mumbled back watching him head off and disappear in her room. She should have added for him not to go through her stuff especially her lingerie but she decided mentioning it might give him ideas. She'd kill him herself the next morning if she noticed anything off she concluded.

She went over and sat down on the couch then and turned on the television with the remote. The screen flashed with colors and figures. Claire sat with her legs hugged to her chest as she watched the screen absently. She really wasn't in the mood to watch television but she dared not to go to sleep. She was afraid that if she fell asleep she would wake up and everything would all be a dream or worse the nightmare would continue to live on. Everything seemed so out of order when she awoke in her present times – something bad always happened; there was never perfection. It was as if living in the past was her fairytale world – she solved things however she wanted; there was resolution. She thought that while she was in the past there would be no problem – it would be all roses; it was naive of her and more than likely denial on her part as well but at the moment she couldn't find herself to care. She wanted to change reality – change it to something more fair for her and her loved ones. Sadly reality wasn't something to be taken so little she would later realize.

But for now she was content living in her fantasy world.

* * *

Claire felt someone shaking her. Her eyelids fluttered opened and then she sat up quickly alarmed. She hadn't meant to fall asleep. She had merely closed her eyes for a few seconds since she felt a little overwhelmed. By the side of her, Steve stood watching her with a curious tilt of his head.

"You fell asleep on the couch?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Claire rubbed one of her eyes sleepily. She probably looked terrible; she certainly felt terrible. Her 'little nap' had merely been a few minutes or so and was hardly enough for her already worn out body. She didn't know what more she can do about it. Falling into a deep sleep was out of the option. She didn't dare.

_I'm going to become a caffeine fiend, lovely, _she thought sarcastically.

"I didn't exactly intend to fall asleep," She mumbled in response, a yawn escaping her.

"Did you feel that uncomfortable?"

Claire, whose eyes were staring off slightly dazed, now looked up to meet his gaze. He was looking everywhere else but meeting her gaze at that moment. He must have felt like a nuisance. And because he wouldn't put his feelings out in the open Claire had to be observant to figure out how the young teenage boy was feeling.

"Of course not." Claire shook her head in response.

He looked at her then waiting for her to explain but she didn't proceed any further and decided to change the subject. She didn't want to even try to explain that the reason she didn't want to go to sleep is for the fear of not waking up in this time but another; as if he'd believe a story like that no matter what they've been through.

"We should go out to eat for breakfast." She said standing up and stretching her arms.

She noticed Steve was still dressed in the clothes he had from prison. That type of clothes definitely wouldn't work especially due to the blood stains.

"We should both shower and change first. Why don't you go ahead first?" Claire suggested.

Steve shrugged, "I guess." He paused then and looked at his clothing almost unsure of how to progress from there.

"You can borrow some of my brother's clothes in the mean time."

He snorted then in response. "Like he's going to be ecstatic about that Claire."

Chris definitely wouldn't be too happy about the fact that his clothes were being worn by another man - especially a man interested in his baby sister.

_What he doesn't know won't kill him, _Claire mused.

"Don't worry about him. I'll find a pair of clothes and set it by the bathroom door for you."

"Sure, sure." He mumbled not sounding exactly enthusiastic but agreeing nonetheless.

Claire got up and headed to Chris's room in search as Steve went into the bathroom to shower. She could hear the water turning on and the sound of the falling water. She looked in Chris's drawers and found a plain black shirt (amongst all the green shirts) and jeans that should fit Steve. After folding up the clothes nicely, Claire walked over to the bathroom door and placed the clothing beside the door. Afterwards she quietly walked into her room and was a tad surprised to see the bed fixed. She had assumed he would have left it all untidy. The auburn haired woman decided to find something she was going to wear as well. She went through her drawers and picked out a pair of jeans with a maroon colored shirt that fit snug.

Upon remembering something, Claire pulled out her cell and dialed Regina's number. The phone rang for a couple of rings before a voice finally answered.

"Regina, hey, how are things with Sherry?" Claire asked.

"Fine." Regina paused. "I had a family emergency and had to fly back to Chicago and I took her with me."

Claire blinked as she heard the name of the shady city. It made her a bit nervous that Sherry was there despite that she was there with Regina. She reminded herself that Sherry had dealt with worse unfortunately in Raccoon City and something like dealing with a city filled with criminal activity shouldn't be too much of a big deal. "Chicago?"

"Yeah, we'll be back in a couple of days."

"Everything alright with your family?"

Regina sighed, a low almost defeated sigh. "Yes – sort of. I don't want to talk about it. Really."

Claire held the phone closer to her ear feeling instant sympathy for her close friend. She didn't know exactly what the older girl was going through but the tugging feeling in her chest told her it was difficult.

"I'm sorry." The auburn haired girl said sympathetically. "Is Sherry handling the situation well?"

"Yeah, she's a good kid. Insightful for her age too." Regina laughed softly and it brought a smile across Claire's lips. She knew how intelligent Sherry was herself.

"She is." She agreed with a lingering smile.

"Well, I'll keep you updated and give you a heads up when we're on the way." Regina commented.

"Okay, bye; take care – the both of you."

They hung up and Claire placed her phone on the table by her bedside. She heard rustling sounds and a door opening suddenly. Steve stuck his head through her open door and she could smell the scent of fresh soap and a lighter scent of her brother's aftershave. She blinked and raised an eyebrow realizing he had shaved – the faint bristles of facial hair he had before during the incident were now clean, displaying his almost glowing peachy skin.

"Shower is free." Steve said running a few fingers through his hair making droplets of water flicker off his hair.

"You shaved?" Claire observed amused.

Steve scoffed before looking away with his chin jutted out. She could have sworn she spotted the faint color come to life in his cheeks. Maybe he had expected her not to notice – or he did want her to notice and that's why he did it.

"I found an extra razor of your brother's. I'm borrowing his clothes anyways; already walking down funeral lane might as well look good while I'm at it." He commented sarcastically.

Claire laughed, a whole hearted laugh, which felt good to let loose. She didn't laugh as much as she used to in the past. It was easy to be carefree around Steve - almost as easy as breathing. Her eyes had been closed briefly and when she opened them she was surprised to find Steve observing her with something like appraisal. The fluttering in her chest started up again and it made it hard for her to remember to breathe. There was a silence between them before Claire finally unable to stand the silence coughed breaking it.

"I better shower now."

Steve nodded and disappeared as he headed into the living room. Claire sighed, a low sigh, unsure of exactly what made her react as such when she noticed Steve looking at her. She shook those thoughts away and grabbed her clothes and headed into the restroom. The room was still misty and warm. Steam was floating aimlessly in the air. She got out of her clothes and dropped them onto the floor. Her crystal blue eyes looked upon herself in the mirror ahead. Porcelain colored skin, full mounds that were her breasts in a black laced bra and a flat toned stomach reflected back at her. Claire had never been the type that was uncomfortable and unconfident with her body. It, however, felt strange to see the body of her younger years staring back at her in the mirror. She blinked slowly and then turned on the warm water letting it rush downwards in a stream. Her fingers unhooked her bra letting it drop to the ground and she slipped her matching pair of panties off.

Upon stepping into the welcoming warm water, she sighed in content and held her hands up letting the water fall into her palms. She realized then that her hair was still in her ponytail and she loosened it, her hair cascaded in waves past her shoulders.

Steve meanwhile tapped his fingers on the side of the couch waiting. The television was on an action movie that he normally would enjoy but he couldn't pay attention enough at the moment to enjoy it. His mouth felt terribly dry and he licked his lips trying to help – it didn't. Claire was showering not too far from him. In warm water, steam probably floating around her perfectly toned naked body. He groaned and ran a few fingers through his hair – this time frustrated with himself. He chided himself internally for such thoughts. Sure, such thoughts were a _normal_ teenager thing but he told himself he didn't want to act like a teenager around Claire. He wanted to act older, more mature around her. He didn't make it too obvious (at least he hoped he didn't) but the two year gap between them had always bugged him; a "manly pride" thing he called it.

The red haired male had shaved even. The facial hair might have made him look older but he got the feeling Claire preferred clean faces. When she had immediately noticed, he had gotten embarrassed and felt his cheeks burn but it made him pleased nonetheless because she _had_ noticed. That counted as something right?

The sound of a clatter broke him from his trance and he turned around when he heard upcoming footsteps. Claire was in front of him drying her hair with a white towel. It was the first time he'd ever seen her hair down. The beautiful auburn colored strands of hair were wavy slightly at the ends like waves. Her eyes looked brightly blue and her cheeks were glowing due to her just coming out of the shower. Steve felt himself swallow, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

"Ready to go?" He asked, his voice coming out throaty. He cleared his throat afterwards awkwardly.

Claire smiled at him that hundred volt smile and merely gave a small nod in agreement.

* * *

The two sat in a small restaurant that gave a warm, comfortable feeling. Blue chairs beautifully made out of bamboo sticks and brown wooden round tables gave the setting a cozy feeling due to the mix of a cool and warm color. Picture frames with creative and colorful designs adorned the walls. Nothing too over the top.

Claire glanced through the laminated menu. She decided to stick with eggs, bacon, sausage, and French toast – the Breakfast Deluxe. Her eyes glanced up curiously to Steve who was also searching through his menu. The sun's rays were coming through the nearby window they were sitting by and the color lit up Steve's crimson hair, like flames. His light gray eyes were brighter as well and his freshly shaved jaw line looked smooth and strong. He looked kind of beautiful. She snickered to herself at the thought.

"Decided on what you're going to get?" She asked.

Steve glanced up and was playing with the collar of his shirt. The collar was popped up to not attract attention to the black collar band around his neck with his prisoner number (they had to figure a way later to get it off). She doubted people would question him and instead think it was an odd teenager style trend. The first few buttons of the shirt were unbuttoned allowing her to glimpse a view of the firm, hairless skin of his chest. She averted her eyes quickly and instead focused on his eyes. He looked almost amused.

"Yeah, the pancakes dish looks good. I haven't had a good meal in God knows when." He replied rubbing his thumb along his jaw.

She wondered how long he had to suffer in prison due to his father's stupid and selfish mistake. Steve didn't like talking about his past when asked; he only talked about it when he wanted to. She decided not to push her curiosity onto him. A content smile came across her pink lips as she stared at him. Chris had warned her several times during her talk with him on the phone about keeping a close eye on him and if he tried anything to kick him in a place where the sun don't shine – to put it in nice terms. Chris was blunt and said things how they were; he never sugar coated anything. Claire did but she didn't think she had to protect herself from Steve. He was an afflicted young male, yes, but he had spent the entire time back in Antarctica protecting her. Certainly someone who would risk his life to protect her couldn't possibly be bad – she refused to believe opposite.

"Hey, after this how about we drive around and I show you the sights?" Claire suggested with a wink.

Steve blinked taken off guard and she saw him shift a bit. "Yeah sounds good."

His lips twitched upwards in a small smirk as if he was sharing with himself a private joke. It vanished soon after and a smile appeared in its place – that almost shy, carefree smile of his that he so rarely showed. Inside her chest, her heart did a couple of flip-flops and she tried to ignore them.

Her body's reactions were really starting to irritate her _and_ confuse her. Even before when they first met and he had called her beautiful she hadn't reacted like this. Of course, before he irritated her and she only thought of him as an inconsiderate, selfish brat. She had learned otherwise later the more time he spent. There definitely was more to Steve Burnside than she had first thought. She had seen the flood of emotion when he had to gun down his own father to rescue her; the same man who although had ruined his life and caused his mother's death was still his father and he had cared about him. She wondered about her parents and if she could have killed them if they had been changed into that evil form. It was unbearable to even think about it. Her heart ached at even the thought.

"Claire?"

Claire blinked slowly and looked up to meet Steve's concern glance. She smiled and shook her head trying to brush away the thoughts that now plagued her mind.

"It's nothing." She said simply.

She could see the concern and confusion stir in his gray eyes. There was something else too, deep down, an emotion he was trying desperately to hide. He looked away and out the window absently watching the passing figures.

She knew his feelings; question was did she know hers?

* * *

**End Part III**

**Ending note: **The song on the radio that Claire hears is "Breathe Me" by SIA – it's a beautiful song about, well, falling and needing a friend to help get back up again.

And yikes, almost twenty pages! That's a new record for me. Also - a big thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter.


	4. Part IV

**Between The Lines**

.

**Part IV**

**.**

"_Just stay with me and hold me close because I built my world around you. And I don't want to know what it's like without you." –Stay with Me; Danity Kane._

* * *

Claire drove her car down the streets. Several buildings passed by along with other cars. Steve stared out the window admiring the sights. Claire glanced over at him briefly and smiled.

"They look better at night." She mused.

Steve turned towards her, cocking his head to his side. "Yeah? We should check them out a night too then." He grinned rubbing his hands together as if he were plotting something.

She rolled her eyes. "Don't go planning something illegal, Steve."

"Hey, I'm no criminal!" Steve defended and when Claire gave him a pointed look he backtracked. "That wasn't my fault and you know it!"

Claire giggled, "Right. Mine was my fault though."

They stopped at a red light and Claire looked over to her side feeling as if someone was staring at her. Steve was watching her closely and she blinked, once, twice. "What?"

The red haired male merely smiled and shook his head. "Nothing…" He turned to attention to the floor briefly as if contemplating something and then went back to looking out the window.

Claire couldn't see his face from the angle and it made her purse her lips. He was hiding something. Surely, he wanted to say something but wasn't able to.

"Steve.." She called.

Steve turned to face her waiting for her to continue. She blinked and found herself unable to process anything to actually say. She had a feeling what he might want to tell her but she wasn't sure she was ready to hear it. Not when she herself wasn't sure what she was feeling.

"Never mind." She added turning her attention closely to the light. A few seconds after it turned green and she continued driving.

They made it back to her apartment then and headed up it still without a word. She was a bit bothered by the silence but she dared not break it. The door was closed behind her and she locked it stepping into her living room. Steve had already made himself comfortable on the couch and had turned on the television. He looked up at her and gave her a grin.

"Come on Claire, take a seat." He patted the spot beside him and she hesitated a bit before seating beside him.

He seemed back to himself. She shouldn't think any deeper into it. The movie that was playing was something she had already seen before but she enjoyed it and didn't mind seeing it again. Steve's arms were resting on the couch and one in particular was behind Claire's head and his legs were spread out so that her knees almost touched his. She kept her hands in her lap and nearly jumped when she felt his knee brush against her. Steve immediately apologized and moved his knee away. It later happened again though and this time he didn't excuse himself nor move away. Claire felt her cheeks grow warm and tapped her fingers in her lap fidgeting. She dared a quick glance at Steve and he appeared so engrossed into the movie and hardly uncomfortable. If anything he appeared pretty comfortable. His shoulders were loosed although his body wasn't slouched.

Crystal blue eyes darted back down to their joined knees and she felt like the touch was burning her. It felt warm. She had to break the tension and she did it by how she normally did: by teasing. Upon noticing the silver single earring in his ear, ('_was it always there?'_) her slender fingers reached up and playfully tugged on his ear with the earring. Steve winced slightly and looked at her glaring a bit more playfully than actually angry.

"What's this? Trying to be rebellious?" She teased, voice carefree.

Steve snorted, "Hardly. Everyone's got one."

"So if everyone jumped off a bridge you would too?"

"You sound like my mom now Claire."

Claire laughed softly. She probably did. She always did have a maternal instinct to her. It was something she picked up from Chris she supposed seeing as he was quite paternal.

"I can act like your mom or an older sister even." She teased back.

Her words didn't seem to have the desire effect, however. After hearing her words, Steve's expression changed and it no longer held the playfulness. He actually looked a bit hurt. Claire released her hold from his ear and concern came across her face. She hadn't meant to hurt him, in any way she had. It had just been playful teasing on her part like she normally did around him. It was just _so_ easy to tease him. Fun too.

"Steve…" Claire mumbled regretfully.

Steve immediately stood up and walked over to the glass panel doors staring outside absently. Claire stood up and walked over to him. She noticed his position was stiff and his fists were clenched at his sides. She placed a hand on his shoulder trying to comfort him but he merely shrugged her off. Claire tried not to be too offended or hurt by this.

"Just forget it Claire." He said stiffly and then proceeded towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Claire asked growing a bit exasperated. It was as if he was always walking away.

"Out." He answered simply and then left without another word.

Claire sighed and brushed back some of her hair. She couldn't help it now. He would be back in no time after he cooled off. She still couldn't realize why he had gotten to so mad. It didn't make any sense. The auburn haired girl sat back down on the couch and tried to focus on the television but she found she couldn't. She was worried.

'_Just wait, he'll be back soon I'm sure…'_

* * *

It was dark outside and Steve still wasn't back. Claire paced back and forth in her apartment before she couldn't take it any longer. She had to go look for him. Unfortunately there was no way to contact him so she was on her own. She got into her car and started driving down the streets where she had shown him earlier. One after one, she passed them and still no sign of Steve. Her heart was racing in her chest anxiously. What if something had happened to him?

'_I should have gone after him,' _she thought pressing her lips together.

She prayed to God that nothing had happened to him and that she would find him. After fifteen more minutes of searching the streets she came across an alley hid off in the corner. The flicker of brightly red colored hair caught her eye despite the darkness. The small hanging lamp lit up his hair color which helped her spot him. She parked her car locking it behind her and headed towards him. The area was shady looking with even shadier looking men. Upon seeing her they whistled and made comments towards her that made her want to hurt them.

"Steve, let's go." Claire ordered finally coming across the red haired teenager. She wanted nothing more than to leave this place swiftly.

Steve scoffed and it was then she noticed he was holding something – a beer. Where had he gotten beer from? He wasn't twenty-one. She glanced quickly over at the men who more than likely had supplied him with it and glared at them. Didn't they know that supplying a minor with liquor was illegal? They probably didn't even care.

"Just go away." Steve replied back slurring his words slightly. He took another swig of his beer and Claire immediately took the beer out of his hand and threw it into the nearby trash bin. The sound of crashing and breaking glass echoed in the bin loudly.

Steve glowered at her not appearing pleased that she had gotten rid of his offending drink. "What the hell, Claire?"

"Hey honey, want to swing?"

Claire turned towards the other men. They were looking at her with eyes that more or less were trying to see past her clothing ('_and they don't try to hide it either!'_). She hated these types of men the most. The ones that treated women like sex dolls. It was disgusting and extremely offensive and she most definitely wouldn't stand for it.

"If you want to get away with your balls intact I'd get lost. All of you." She remarked back simply.

The men gulped suddenly and realized this girl meant business. Despite her appearing fragile, the unfaltering, cool look in her crystal blue eyes was not something missed. She wasn't like other girls that was for sure. She was a fighter. The men scattered leaving her alone with Steve. She turned her attention back to him. He was watching her dully.

"Let's just go Steve. Come on, don't act like a child." Claire chided.

"I wouldn't if you didn't treat me like one!"

Claire blinked taken off guard. His gray eyes were flashing and looked faded in the darkness; almost jaded even.

"What are you saying?" She asked confused.

"Don't you get it? I don't want you to act like my fucking mother or sister, okay?"

"What…" Claire furrowed her eyebrows down not really understanding what he was getting at. She had merely been joking about acting like either a mother or sister to him but he appeared to really take her words to heart.

Steve sighed exasperated then and Claire jumped startled when she felt his hands placed on her cheeks and found herself being pulled a bit upwards. Her lips parted to say something but the words were cut off when his mouth was on hers. She could feel his warm breath in her mouth. It was mixed with bitter alcohol and something that tasted along the lines of cinnamon. Her body instantly froze and she found herself unable to move or even breathe. His lips were warm against hers and his eyelids were closed, long eyelashes fluttering against his cheek. She allowed her eyes close and felt him tilt her head to be able to kiss her deeper.

The situation was _oh-so wrong_. Not only was he not supposed to be alive but he had been drinking despite being underage. And not forgetting the fact that Claire was legally an adult while he was still a _minor _albeit the fact that he was about to turn eighteen soon regardless. She found herself ignoring the mind echoing in her head that this was _sinfully wrong_ and lost herself in the kiss. When she parted her lips he slipped his tongue into her mouth exploring it, slowly yet eagerly, and she found herself lost in the sensations invoked. She shuddered unable to control the jolt of electricity and warmth that ran down her body all the way down to her toes. It was exhilarating. Despite the smell of alcohol, he smelled good. She could smell the hint of aftershave radiating from his jaw. It made her head spin.

Her heart thumped in her chest over and over as they continued to kiss. Their tongues danced together and there was such familiarity in the kiss despite it being their first kiss together. It felt _right._ More right than plenty of other things in her life.

Claire pulled away then to catch her breath. Her eyelashes fluttered open and she found herself staring into Steve's eyes. He was looking at her in a mix of somewhat awe and light-headedness. He lowered his head again attempting to kiss her once again but she pulled away quickly before he could have that control on her. If he kissed her again she wouldn't be able to think. And she doubted she'd even be able to stop him.

"Let's go…okay?" She breathed trying to calm down her racing heart.

Steve shifted and pressed his lips together. "Fine..," He finally said reluctantly.

* * *

Upon arriving back at her apartment, Claire offered to get Steve some water but when she returned from the kitchen with a glass Steve had already knocked out on her couch. She sighed softly placing the cup on the counter and grabbed a blue stripped blanket from the closet to cover him with it. It fluttered and landed upon his body. He shifted murmuring incoherent words under his breath and his slow, soft breathing confirmed that he was indeed still asleep. Claire watched him for a few minutes. She had never really seen him asleep. He looked peaceful and youthful. His eyelashes fluttered on his cheeks and his reddish bangs were partially over one of his eyes. It always managed to do so. She brushed the bangs back briefly feeling his surprisingly soft skin. Her crystal blue eyes darted down to his lips thinking about how not too long ago those same lips had been pressed against hers. She wondered if he had only kissed her because of his slightly drunken stupor. The thought gave her a pricking feeling that she found herself not liking.

Claire backed away and headed down the hall into her room. She got into her bed and stared blankly out the window. The stars twinkled in the dark sky and were a beautiful, bright white. What was happening to her? Why had she kissed him back like that? And why had the kiss stirred so much in her?

She moistened her lips and turned onto her side, eyelids fluttering lowly. It most definitely wasn't unpleasant - the kiss that is. If she had seen Steve as just a friend or family then it wouldn't have felt like that. He definitely didn't see her as either too seeing as how he had kissed her.

'_I knew that already though,'_ she reminded herself.

She remembered the gentle yet weak smile that had come across his lips as he was dying and he told her that he was glad he met her and that he loved her. Those words and the look across his face had haunted her constantly and the first few weeks after his death had been just about unbearable. The guilt and agony had threatened to consume her. He hadn't broken his promise; she had. And yet, he had happily died for her sake, and she was left to continue living and struggling.

Tears cascaded slowly down Claire's cheeks and she pressed herself closer to her pillow closing her eyes in an attempt to stop the tears. She wasn't normally a cry baby like this. She didn't like feeling almost vulnerable; so out in the open. She could be hurt. He could tear her from the inside if he so cruelly desired to do so but he wouldn't though because he was so utterly devoted to her. She wondered if she deserved it.

He was still here though. That's all that mattered for now.

* * *

Claire awoke to the sound of clattering that sounded like pots. She slipped out of her bed, quickly fixing her messy hair, and headed into the kitchen. Steve was rubbing the back of his neck and eyeing a few pots quizzically as well as a mess of batter on the countertops. The expression across his face was so humorous that Claire began to laugh. He jumped and turned around to find Claire watching him and holding a hand to her stomach laughing.

"What's so funny?" He inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"You just…look so lost." Her laughter subsided then. "What are you doing Steve?"

"Well, I was trying to figure out what to cook for breakfast. Guess it's obvious to say I failed."

Claire laughed again and his cheeks lit up a soft, light red color out of embarrassment. "Cut it out." He grumbled crossing his arms across his chest insulted.

"Here let me take over. Just go relax and watch some television, okay?" She winked at him playfully and was amused at how he blinked his eyes rapidly slightly stunned by the action before walking away. A smile graced her lips and she hummed a bit getting things ready to start pancakes.

He didn't appear to be acting different around her despite their shared kiss yesterday night. She wondered if he actually remembered it and the thought that he might not made her chest prickle again. She tried to brush the feelings away and focus on cooking. She wasn't exactly the best chef or anything but she knew how to make enough to get her by. Her brother Chris was the hopeless one when it came to cooking. He lived on take-out most of the time.

After making enough pancakes for the two she grabbed the plates with them and headed into the living room placing them on the counter.

"What would you like to drink?" She asked.

"Anything is fine." Steve made an attempt to stand up but she stopped him.

"I got it, just relax."

He slumped back into the couch and turned his attention to the plate with pancakes and syrup poured on top. Claire returned back into the kitchen and grabbed them both a cup of orange juice and joined Steve on the couch. He was already eating, quite eagerly, and Claire's lips twitched upwards.

"Thanks." Steve smiled taking the cup and gulping down a huge gulp.

He finished his food in a matter of seconds it seemed like and Claire was still left eating slowly. She preferred to savor the taste so to speak. Steve appeared to be the opposite.

The television flashed in color and the news came on. It was really all that was on this early in the morning. Claire munched on her food and darted her eyes at the remote control without thinking about it. Steve must have noticed her attention.

"Want me to change the channel?" He asked finally.

"No, it's okay." She shrugged then. "It doesn't matter. There's not much on anyways."

A man in his mid-thirties in a black suit came on the screen and began to talk about the weather for the week. It looked promising. No signs of rain and nothing too hot or humid. It was also boring but bearable.

Claire darted a glance at Steve and he was staring at the screen but his mind seemed to be elsewhere. He didn't appear to actually be paying attention to the newscast. His eyes darted over to meet her gaze and she froze and felt her body tingle.

His lips parted slowly, sensuously, and called her name in a low, baritone voice. "Claire?"

She found herself moistening her lips again involuntarily. Brief flashes of remembrance ran in her head. The firmness and pressure of his lips against hers as their lips molded together. The delicious friction radiated from the touch. But then her pride and morality kicked in and she remembered that it was he who had run off without a word; he who had been drinking despite being underage. Anger came trickling down in her and washed away any feelings of longing for him.

"Just what were you trying to prove yesterday?" She all but hissed, the change in her mood probably surprising him. She had seemed civil just a few seconds ago.

Steve shifted in something that could be interpreted as discomfort.

"It was stupid, I know. I was just mad. And I thought what I was doing at the time would make me seem less like a teenager." He shrugged and it appeared like he was so casual about it. As if it didn't really mean anything in the long run.

"Well, newsflash it made you seem more like a _child!_"

Steve flinched at her words, more than anything at her emphasis of the word child. His broad shoulders slouched in defeat and his gaze was dully staring at the television not finding himself able to meet Claire's eyes. He could deal with her being angry,\ but if she was disappointed with him then that was a different story.

"I know. I just… You provoked me."

He was shifting the blame on her now. Claire's eyes hardened and she refrained herself from slamming her cup onto the counter. It was unbelievable. He wasn't even taking responsible for his actions.

"I provoked _you_?" She asked incredulous. It took all her might not to laugh in disbelief and ridicule him.

"You were saying you were going to act like my mom." He defended.

"And that's a bad thing?" She countered with heavy sarcasm in her voice.

"It is to me! I don't want you to even try to play that role!" Steve exclaimed angrily standing up to his feet abruptly.

Claire froze and tried not to feel too dejected by his words. She was used to playing mother figure to those younger then her. Steve, however, appeared so vehemently against her acting as such towards him. Whatever words she wanted to say died on the tip of her tongue. He was looking at her dully, tired to a degree, and ran a few fingers through his hair. His fingers were shaking either out of anger or other emotion she wasn't too sure.

"This wasn't a good idea. I shouldn't stay here."

She felt a burning sensation in her throat building. What could she say? She had to agree that their living together was causing conflict. But did she dare for him to leave? She wouldn't be able to watch him closely if he did. Something could happen; he could get hurt, killed, or run away and never look back. The doubt piled in her like building blocks that could fall over at any minute, threatening to overwhelm her.

Claire dared not to speak and Steve took her wordless response as silent agreement. He left a few minutes later without another word and she found her body numbed.

* * *

It was night again when Steve returned. He didn't smell like alcohol but that didn't seem to matter anymore. Claire looked up from where she was sitting and faced him. She had practiced for hours how she would react when he returned to say his goodbye. She silently thanked Jill's calm demeanor influence which helped her accomplish composure. Her crystal blue eyes stared at him silently as he shifted his footing and looked down. It was something along the lines of regret and hesitation that flashed across his face.

"I came back to say goodbye." He finally said rising up his gaze to met hers suddenly finding the strength to do so.

She wanted to scream at him, to hit him even. It wouldn't solve anything though. Their relationship was already fractured. When had things turned so complicated for them? When had they both wanted so much more out of their friendship?

'_I want more out of our friendship?'_ Claire questioned herself.

She realized with little reluctance that she did. And although Steve had let to word his feelings, she had the feeling he did too. No, she was _certain_ he did. It was for that reason things became so complicated between them.

"Steve…," She started rising up from the couch.

The red haired male shook his head and his position straightened. "Don't Claire. Let's just leave it at this, alright?"

It was selfish for her to ask more out of him when she couldn't offer as much certainly of her feelings as he could. She wondered if it would be enough for him though. Selfish or not she certainly didn't want him to walk away when she so desperately went through measures for him to be back at her side.

Claire Redfield decided to be selfish.

She walked over to Steve and his position stiffened when she was so close that she could smell the masculine scent of him mixed in with what smelled like evergreen trees (he had probably been out walking in the park) and the warmth radiating from his body.

"Stay," Claire breathed, "stay with me."

A whirlwind of emotions came across Steve's face and she saw the affliction. He wanted to run but another part of him wanted to give in and stay despite how much it would hurt. He would try to reel in the moon if he could for her as sad and cheesy as that sounded. Before he had met Claire he had been a stranger to such strong feelings. He would _die_ for her if it came down to it.

"Claire…" Steve sighed, a heavy sigh and made an attempt to step away. She wouldn't have that though. Her hands went forward and clenched into his shirt stopping him almost in silent desperation.

Two hearts thumped almost synchronizing.

"I…can't. I can't." His words sounded weak. He was losing himself, almost giving in and she knew it. It was wrong of her to use it to her advantage but she did.

"Please?" She pleaded, her blue eyes wide and glistening beautiful.

He licked his lips and closed his eyes tightly as if trying to fight something deep inside him.

"It'll be better if I don't." He murmured throatily. The sound made shivers run across her body.

She wanted to forget that everything else in her world had gone wrong. She wanted to confirm that this was truly real and not just some figment of her imagination. She wanted to feel it all, imprint everything in her memory, and relieve it over and over again.

Claire leaned her head upwards, nose brushing against his tantalizingly slow, her heart thumping so loud in her chest she could swear he could hear it too. His breath hitched in his throat and she placed a chaste kiss upon his lips. It was brief, a feather like touch, before she pulled away, her eyelids fluttering open, and watched him hesitantly. In a matter of seconds she found his hands placed upon her cheeks, her head angled and directed a kiss so passionate that it took her breath away and drew upon several sensations. He was a bit clumsy and hesitant but she realized he was a quick learner and mimicked her steady movements. Heat spread through her body and her arms wrapped around his neck raising herself higher to meet his lips.

His lips left hers only to press butterfly kisses upon the soft skin of her neck. She arched her neck so he had better access to it all the while her fingers found their way through his reddish hair, clutching fists of it in her hands. He pulled away much to her displeasure but made up for it by kissing her again, slowly, exploring her mouth with little haste as if wanting to imprint everything into his memory. Her body was pressed up against his and shudders ran through her body.

"Steve…," She called his name breathlessly, eyelids fluttering open dizzily.

His eyelids opened too, eyelashes fluttering, and his eyes looked so bright suddenly; so alive. She could lose herself just by staring into those expressive eyes of his.

"Claire." Steve breathed pressing another lingering kiss upon her lips.

She found herself getting lost in the kiss, not quite getting enough and wanting more. Hips rose out of their own accord and arched against his and his startled, deep filled gasp made tingles gather and spread throughout her skin. Amusement filled her mind when she realized that he was just as affected by their kissing as she was.

Claire drew back and she spotted disappointment come across his face. She snickered quietly to herself and stepped back, once, twice. Steve noticed the direction where she was heading and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down almost nervous and a tad bit eager. Her bedroom – she was leading them into her bedroom.

He followed her into her room and soon found himself pushed onto the bed with her on top. It was a change of roles but was exhilarating nonetheless. They kissed again, tongues seeking the other, all the while her hands shoved up his shirt and explored the firm and lean muscles of his stomach. He groaned into her mouth and the sound brought more warmth upon her. She drew her hands back and suddenly was trying to unbuckle the belt around his jeans. Patience was never a virtue of Claire's. Steve stopped her suddenly, strong hands grasping her wrists albeit gently, and she looked at him questionably. Didn't he want this just as much as she did?

"Claire, wait…are you sure? I don't want you to regret this or anything." He shifted his body, trying to get comfortable despite the aching in his lower half as he stared at her. God did he want her badly. But he wouldn't do anything unless she was absolutely certain because the fact was that he cared about her. _No,_ he loved her – irrevocably.

"Nothing else has ever felt so right before Steve." Was her simple reply.

And with that he came undone. His ego was pleasantly inflated. Without another thought, he rolled them over so he was on top instead. A devious grin coming across his lips but there was gentleness too as well as unadulterated adoration.

"I can't argue with that then."

Claire rolled her eyes. He was still so cocky…

* * *

A cigarette was lit and the end was glowing as ashes flew down from it. Everyone told him it was a bad habit and would only kill him but the warnings merely fell on closed ears. It wasn't that he didn't know the consequences. And he did appreciate the concern of his friends. It was a bad habit of his. And bad habits died hard.

Chris Redfield took a long whiff of his cigarette, inhaling and then exhaling as a big cloud of dark smoke appeared through his breath. He blamed the nicotine. It was a bitch. Although the stress factor in his life didn't help either.

He was only twenty-five and yet for some reason he felt so much older, almost jaded to a degree that he couldn't even comprehend. Time felt strange to him. Like déjà vu but somehow different. It was unexplainable and ended up just perplexing him to no ends. Claire had been acting strange enough lately. She seemed almost paranoid and a little more on the edge than usual and he couldn't grasp why. It was as if she was trying hard to calculate all her actions as absurd as that sounded. As if Claire actually thought before she acted; she was impulsive hands down.

His thoughts trailed briefly to the sudden appearance of her 'friend' in her life. He didn't hide his protectiveness and made sure his feelings of displeasure were more or less obvious. Steve Burnside was just a kid though; harmless but a typical teenager in every sense. Claire was too headstrong to be seduced either. He shook those thoughts away finding them to give him more of a bitter aftertaste than a much needed distraction.

It hadn't been too long ago he had worked in the S.T.A.R.S. office filled with all his other comrades as well as the Bravo team. The only difference now was that just about all of his teammates were dead and Raccoon City was destroyed by Umbrella's abominations. It was like turning the blade already lodged in someone's heart; salt to the wound. One outbreak led to another in an unbreakable cycle.

They all had their battles to face. Chris's were just more personal to him. He was the one after all whose supposed-to-be-dead-ex S.T.A.R.S. captain, whom Chris had held in high regard, wanted him to suffer a long and painful death. If that didn't count as a closet filled with the ghost of a person's past he didn't know what did.

"I thought you might be here." An almost amused voice said behind him. He didn't need to turn to know who it was.

"Yeah, well, I couldn't stand all the noise inside." Chris said with a careless shrug that bordered apathy. He had to put up the macho act. He didn't want anyone else around him to know that he was on his breaking point as much as they were. His tough act was the only thing he had that was keeping him sane – that as well as the brunette now at his side glancing up at him with what he could interpret as concern.

There was quietness outside despite the occasional whooshing sound of the trees, soft chirping sounds of crickets, and the silent trickles of droplets on the leaves. It reminded him too much of the woods despite him being just a fraction of steps away from the building. He hated woods, forests, whatever. The remembrance of them running as zombie dogs chased after them and the screams and gunshots of Joseph ringing in his ears while his flesh was ripped apart and fed upon. Chris rubbed a few fingers to his temple to offer some comfort to himself and it sadly didn't help. He would always remember, and it would always haunt him.

"Chris, are you okay?" Jill asked placing a comforting hand upon his shoulder.

He breathed deeply forgetting about his cigarette for the time being and instead focusing on the gentle, soothing voice of Jill Valentine. The question was rather silly and stupid honestly. Were any of them really okay? No. He bit down his brutally blunt response and instead gave one that was half-hearted but was the only thing he could offer and was willing to offer.

"I guess." He replied turning his attention back to his cigarette and inhaling another whiff.

A frown came across Jill's beautiful face. She was one of the ones that had told him several times that smoking was bad for him and would only give him cancer. After all they had been through dying was something he wasn't afraid of. It seemed actual trivial for him to worry about getting cancer when Wesker was out there waiting in the darkness to strike like a cobra.

"You should quit smoking." She reprimanded calmly.

"Not going to happen anytime soon Valentine." He remarked back but there was more of a teasing tone in his voice than sarcasm. He liked that she always chided him. He liked that she actually cared.

In response, Jill snatched the cigarette out of his hand and threw it onto the ground, smashing it carelessly with the heel of her shoe.

"What the hell, Jill?"

"You can survive one night without a cancer stick." She commented dryly.

A devious thought came across Chris's mind then.

"But what else am I supposed to do with my hands?" He teased playfully holding his hands up aimlessly in the air for emphasis.

It was a normal norm for them. Playful teasing and flirting that usually led to an even more teasing bickering. Jill was an attractive woman after all and he was a young adult who appreciated a pretty face. The difference between the attraction he felt for Jill and other women was that he respected Jill – earnestly. They were partners. Their relationship was somehow something more profound than something romantic. They balanced the other perfectly in every sense like Yin and Yang.

Jill, catching quickly onto his game, rolled her eyes although her eyes were surprisingly bright in the darkness, like twinkling stars. Dare he say it she appeared amused. "I'm sure you'll think of something."

He grinned suggestively at her and Jill proceeded to punch him in his shoulder, the attack hardly doing any damage, but more so serving a point. Amusement flashed across Chris's face.

"Was that supposed to hurt Jill?"

"Would you prefer that I kick you in a _very_ sensitive place, Redfield?"

"No, ma'am."

"That's what I thought."

* * *

The dreading sound of a phone going off was heard. It was loud, obnoxious and didn't appear to be stopping any time soon. Claire silently cursed that she didn't put her phone on vibrant during the night. Her companion would probably agree as he stirred with a groan glancing at the alarm clock near her bed. It read only a quarter past seven.

"God Claire, who the hell is calling you at seven in the morning?" Steve asked although not really caring for an answer but more so wanting to go back to blissful sleep in the covers of _her _bed.

He was still stunned by the turn of events but he most definitely wasn't complaining. Definitely not him. And needless to say despite the fact that he wasn't entirely experienced in bedding a girl seeing as his life was so quickly ended due to him being sent off to prison by his father's mistakes, he had to say he wasn't bad – especially not by the noises Claire had been making last night. He was _damn_ good. He allowed a small smirk to grace his lips before the constant ringing reminded him how early it was and he groaned trying to hide under the pillows hoping it would stop.

Claire finally grabbed her phone answering it without so much glancing to see who it was.

"Yeah?" She asked more snarky than she intended. It was early for God's sake. And she hadn't that much sleep to begin with. The thought made her cheeks burn along with other parts of her body. She was suddenly very much aware of the fact that she was still naked along with Steve – in her bed.

"Not much of a morning person, are you Redfield?" Claire could just about picture Regina's raised eyebrow upon noticing Claire's tone.

"Regina sorry, I didn't sleep much last night." She was aware of Steve's gaze on her and the lingering smirk now on his lips. It embarrassed her and made it difficult for her to keep her composure on the phone.

"Whatever, just wanted to tell you that the kid and I are getting packed to get boarded on the plane back to New York. It'll probably take us a day or so to get there."

"Really? That's great. I can't wait to see you guys." Claire couldn't help but smile. This was good news.

"Yeah, so, I'll call you again when we land alright?"

"Uh-huh, tell Sherry I miss her and can't wait to see her. I'll see you both soon."

They both hung-up and Claire gave a lingering stare on her phone along with a smile. It would be a bit awkward at first she was sure for Sherry to get used to Steve being around but she was sure they'd manage. Anyone Claire trusted and cared about she was sure Sherry would too.

"What was that about?" Steve asked, his gaze going down and then up to her face. She realized that her chest was exposed and quickly covered herself with the covers awkwardly. It was stupid considering he saw it all last night.

"It was a friend of mine. She's going back in the city with Sherry."

"Sherry?" He questioned curiously.

"Yeah, she's a girl I rescued in Raccoon City when an outbreak occurred. Her parents died in the outbreak."

Claire spotted the empathy come across Steve's face. They had all lost their parents but Steve and Sherry's situation was more alike. There was betrayal, abandonment, and death - all in the mix.

Claire realized that her clothing were no where to be seen and for her to get out of the bed she'd be naked. She blushed profusely and cursed under her breath at her luck. She was fairly modest when it came to her body surprisingly, more so after the events of Raccoon City and Rockfort Island which she sported some ugly scars as constant reminders. The auburn haired girl proceeded then to drag the covers off the bed and wrap them around herself. The idea should have been full-proof except she forgot for one _minor_ detail. Steve was still very much nude as well and didn't appear to making any efforts at modesty. He was leaning his weight on his arms, his red hair tussled but still attractive, amusement flashing in his light blue bordering on gray eyes, and the muscles of his stomach flexing from the angle. His sudden chuckle stopped her exploration from going any lower and she immediately raised her eyes up to meet his. He was grinning juvenile like.

"Oh _come_ on Claire," His words bordering on a whine and she wasn't sure if he was complaining about her covering up or her leaving his side.

"Put some clothes on or at least cover yourself!" She hissed thoroughly embarrassed for no obvious apparent reason.

It was foolish of her to be acting like this after they had sex. It shouldn't be this awkward. But it was awkward because the night together had proved exactly what she feared: she wanted him, truly, madly, and deeply to a point where it blocked all her clear sense of reason although she didn't have much to begin with. That was another thing more than likely inherited from her impulsive brother.

Steve snorted, rolling his eyes, as he slipped out of bed and into his discarded pair of jeans. He was fortunate enough to have his clothes in sight unlike her. "Relax it's nothing you didn't see."

He was acting so much better at this then she was. How sad was that?

"Can you just get out while I change?" She asked with a sigh, almost defeated.

They were both at the door now. Steve looked down at her, his eyes brightly hopeful, with a matching Cheshire cat grin. "Can't I watch?"

The door slammed in his face.

* * *

Claire dressed into a black shirt and a signature red vest that was more like the outfit she wore to Raccoon City than Rockfort Island. She wore dark blue pants and a matching brown belt to match her shoes. Her head was combed and fixed up in a typical ponytail. She sighed and glanced at her reflection. She was tired but for some odd reason her face appeared to be glowing.

'_Well, that's a change for once.' _She thought amused.

She headed into the living room and was surprised to find Steve dressed in a different set of clothes she recognized as an older pair of Chris's clothing. The shirt was a gray color that complimented his eyes and fit snug against his chest and hinted at it as well as a pair of faded blue jeans and the brown boots he sported back in Rockfort Island. He was tying the laces when Claire walked in.

Steve glanced up at her and Claire saw hesitation flash in his eyes. It was as if he didn't know where to go from here in their relationship. Nothing was really clear or out in the open.

"I know there's a lot we have to talk about." After speaking the words Claire internally winced at how they sounded. This wasn't what she wanted to say. The night hadn't been a mistake to her. It was beautiful and she had felt more complete in that night than she had nearly her entire life.

"Claire if you say it was a mistake I'm…"

She cut him off immediately, "It wasn't a mistake and I don't regret it."

Steve furrowed his brow obviously not getting where she was going with this. "Then what is there to talk about?"

"We had sex, Steve."

He flinched at the bluntness of her words and shook his head, a stubborn expression coming across his face. "It wasn't like that Claire. At least not to me it wasn't."

Claire blinked her blue eyes, taken off guard at the honesty and sincerity of his words. "Steve…"

Steve finally looked over at her, dead on, with such seriousness etched across his face. There was no playfulness displaying.

"I know…I'm younger than you, believe me I know that you're probably more experienced than me with these," he paused unsure of how to word it, "—situations and emotions but I know how I feel."

Claire felt her breath hitch in her throat and a warm sensation run down her spine. She dared not to speak least she break his heartfelt confession. Doubt filled her. Was she ready to hear it though? Did she know the full extent of her feelings for him? She knew she cared about him very much and he brought peace of mind to her but did that describe it all? No, it didn't. There was far much more to it than just that.

"I know this will complicate things even more but…I…I love you, really." His brow was furrowed again, cheeks becoming slightly colored, and his fists clenched tight at his sides. It appeared like he was waiting for her immediate rejection and it pained her.

"Steve…" She called walking to him and stopping when she was but a mere few inches away from him. He was breathing heavily and she could feel her heart thumping rapidly in her chest. How could she describe how she felt into simple words? She didn't think she could.

Instead Claire lifted Steve's hand and pressed it against her chest. She heard his sharp intake of breath and her heart fluttered in her chest continuing its furious pace. He was staring at his hand, with her hand over his, placed on her chest so near the mound of her breast. He felt it then. The rapid, soothing thumps of her heart that mimicked his at the moment. Nervousness, excitement, _love_, he could feel it almost as much as he had felt it last night when they made love.

"It only does this around you," She mused with a content smile. "Steve I..." She was stopped when he suddenly kissed her with no reluctance and her heart swelled in her chest with emotions.

No more words were needed.

* * *

Voices came off the television blared into the apartment that was for the most part quiet aside from the soft breathing of two people. Claire sat snuggled into Steve's chest and one of his arms rested lazily around her waist while the other was rested on the couch. The silence was peaceful. She felt content just staying near him. And as much as she had wanted to feel him again, touch him and have him touch her, the two decided against their urges (because he had wanted her just as bad). She liked it better this way. It was just as blissful being near him with his arm around her, fingers every now and then tracing invisible circles.

The moment was more or less broken when the sound of a loud stomach growling was heard. Claire raised an eyebrow glancing up at Steve whose cheeks colored and he coughed awkwardly into his hand.

"Are you hungry?" She asked amused.

"Yeah…I normally eat the moment I wake up."

She didn't find this surprising. And according to the nearby clock it was around lunch time. They had lost track of time and missed breakfast.

"Why don't we go out and grab some lunch?" She suggested.

Steve appeared like he was about to protest but his stomach wouldn't have any of that. His cheeks warmed and brightened in response as Claire giggled all the while he glowered at her.

"Looks like your stomach wins." She mused with an amused smile.

"Ha ha, very funny Claire." Steve replied back sarcastically. He paused then a smirk came across his lips, "Besides I have to regain my energy somehow. I can't help it if you wore me out last night, you know." A nonchalant shrug was added for effect.

Claire felt her cheeks burn and by his sudden amused chuckle he noticed it too. There was a pause on her part before she reacted…

A few minutes or so Claire was found walking out of the apartment followed by Steve who was rubbing a hand to his shoulder.

"Damn, you didn't have to punch me Claire." He grumbled, eyelids lowering somewhat, all the while wincing from the blow.

Whoever said _all_ girls punched like girls lied. Claire Redfield did not punch like a girl. And her punches hurt like hell.

"Oh but I _did_." She replied back sweetly and it was at that moment that Steve realized never to piss her off again (especially not with sex jokes) or the next time he'd end up with a dislocated shoulder or worse.

* * *

Claire and Steve arrived back at Claire's apartment a few hours later full and tired. Claire wanted nothing more than to crawl into her bed and take a nap. Steve walked over to the couch and slumped into it which wasn't odd. What was odd was the faraway stare he was holding. The auburn haired girl blinked and walked over to him sitting beside, placing a hand on his knee supportively.

"Something the matter Steve?"

He blinked and glanced over at her hand on his knee and then her. Now _that_ was going to take some getting used to. He shrugged one of his broad shoulders then.

"Not really, I was just thinking about graduation." He flinched then, "I mean…how I never did graduate…" His eyebrows furrowed down in concentration and a tad bit of frustration.

"You could always get your GED." Claire suggested.

Steve sighed, tiredly or frustrated Claire couldn't tell, and leaned his head back on the couch staring up blankly at the ceiling. His eyelids lowering slightly and that same faraway glance had returned. She didn't want him to worry. They'd figure out something somehow.

"Hey, we'll figure out something together, okay?" Claire cooed removing her hand from his knee and instead placing it on top of his hand. Instantly after, she felt him entwine their fingers together. The action brought goose bumps.

"Yeah…," Steve mumbled lowly, closing his eyes, his expression suddenly relaxed and peaceful.

Claire sighed in contentment and rested her head on his shoulder, eyelids fluttering shut. When was the last time she had felt this peaceful in her life? It certainly had been a long time. Even in the future where she was older things felt less whole than at this moment.

"Want to put something on?" Steve asked then breaking the peaceful silence.

He was obviously someone who couldn't appreciate blissful silence and needed technology to entertain him. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, merely nodding her head. He grinned reaching for the remote and turning on the television. Instantly it was on a news channel, no surprise there. Normally she'd immediately ignore it but something caught her eye and made her focus.

"I repeat….Walden Continental Lines from Chicago airport was hijacked and reportedly crashed into a skyscraper a few hours after take off. We are going to show a list of the passengers…"

Claire froze and her body numbed.

'_God no…' _

A list was displayed with several names of passengers and their ages in white lettering on a black screen, the names moving slowly up, more and more showing. Her eyes caught a set of names.

_Regina Bingley (20)_

_Sherry Birkin (12)_

"There are no survivors. This tragedy will…."

And that was when Claire's mind blanked and refused to hear anymore. She could feel her whole body tremble and her breaths pick up. Steve noticed the sudden change in Claire and called her name concerned. She hardly seemed to notice him. Her eyes burned and tears began to drip-drop down her eyes one-by-one slowly.

"_There are no survivors…"_

"Why!" She screamed standing up abruptly and throwing the control at the television. There was a loud cracking sound as a long line cracked down the screen from the impact. Static immediately showed up on a black and gray screen. The noise crackled loudly.

Steve gave a pained expression at Claire and stood up. "Claire," he called her name softly, sympathy in his voice.

She had asked for this hadn't she? It was her fault that caused her friend and Sherry to be dead. Her selfishness. No matter where she went, in the past or present, there would always be some death of a loved one to remind her that she couldn't escape reality. She _couldn't_ change reality. And it _hurt. _Badly.

Claire threw herself into Steve's arms and he soothingly ran his fingers through her hair, holding her close. She had to see how her future was turning out to be like. With that thought in mind, her impending headaches returned full throttle. The strong thumps echoing furiously in her head, over and over again. She gave a small cry and everything blackened.

* * *

The sound of sudden screams awoke Claire then. She sat up slowly rubbing a hand to her head. Her eyes darted around taking in her surroundings. It was her apartment from her current time. The screams came again, echoing in the streets, along with the sounds of feet running. She quickly stood up ignoring the strong pain in her head and headed to the window. Crystal blue eyes instantly widened in horror and recognition, head shaking in disbelief soon after what she saw.

"No…no..." Claire shook her head not daring to believe what she was seeing.

New York was being attacked.

The slow, familiar sound of shuffling and low moaning was heard. It was something that always haunted her in her dreams. The nightmare had returned. Was it ever really over?

A woman stumbled and fell, screaming in horror as two of the zombies caught up with her. They fell onto her immediately, teeth latching onto her skin ripping and feeding, blood squirting downwards in a puddle under her. A few more screams were heard throughout the distance.

Claire staggered backwards and dashed into her room, digging into her drawers searching. She pulled out a 9mm handgun and loaded it, placing the package of remaining bullets in her pocket. She didn't have enough to kill a town filled of zombies. It was never enough. Her heart pounded rapidly in her chest as she leaned against a corner away from her window, her breathing hitching. She was alone in this. Instantly thoughts of Chris and Jill filled her mind and she hoped to God they had flown away on business and weren't one of the undead.

She shut her eyes trying to calm herself down. This was a situation she had been in before. She wasn't that naive teenager she had been when she first faced this nightmare. She was an adult now. But was there really an age appropriate for someone to be able to face this terror? It didn't seem like it.

Her head pounded constantly and she rubbed her temple trying to control it. At a time like this she needed to concentrate on staying alive not a headache. There was a loud crashing sound and glass scattered. The instant smell of rotting flesh hit Claire's nose as a zombie stumbled through the window and into her room. She aimed her gun and shot it in the head, its head exploding, gushing out blood.

Clawing was heard on her front door along with several low, eerie groans. The hallways were more than likely filled with them.

'_The fire escape!' _Claire thought running into her living room and opening the glass panel at the end. She slid it open and closed it behind her. She walked along the fire escape walkway and headed down a ladder. The ladder ended up leading her into a dark alley where she could hear the echoing moans.

'_I have to get to the parking lot and to my car. I bet there are many of them there but I don't have a choice.'_

She ran down the alley which was empty luckily. Her footsteps clattered on the ground. The increasing sound of moans warned her that her luck was about to change for the worst. She stopped at the corner of the alley, peeking over to see what lay ahead of her. Her fingers slipped into the pocket of her jeans where she almost always carried her keys, fingering the set of her car keys deep in the pocket. There were a lot of them dragging themselves along slowly. She didn't have enough ammo on her to take them all on that was for sure. Her eyes darted around searching and she spotted her red car up ahead in the middle. There were two zombies near her car that she would have to get rid of quickly before being able to get into her car. It shouldn't be too much of a problem. The others catching up to her in the process was the problem.

'_Well…here goes nothing.'_

At least this time she was armed with a gun and not an umbrella (that ironically enough had matched the corporation Umbrella's colors) like last time. Now that was a situation she wouldn't like to relive.

With her gun held tightly in one hand, Claire began to dash towards her car. The clatter of her footsteps on the cement alerted the zombies who now stumbled towards her in groups. She made a mistake of glancing around._ 'Focus!'_

From what she had seen from those few seconds were about seven, maybe eight zombies approaching her from the sides. The two near her car noticed her approaching and turned around heading towards her. Their moans ringed in her ears. The zombies with their clothing tattered, several pieces of flesh ripped out along with pale white-bluish colored skin and white eyes staring blankly in her direction, slowly staggered towards her. She stopped to aim two well aimed headshots and in a matter of seconds the zombies fell to the ground with a splat. She stepped over them and opened her car, getting in and turning on the engine. A quick glance to the back seat was made and found to be cleared. She learned from past experiences that it was better to be on the safe side.

Claire placed her car in reverse backing up and then drive, sparing no minute more to zoom out of there. She drew out her phone dialing Chris's number. It rang and rang until it headed directly into his voicemail. The auburn haired woman cursed under her breath.

'_Why are you always impossible to reach?'_

She ended the call and scrolled through her numbers stopping at Leon's name hoping to have better luck with him. Her eyes went back to the road, while holding the steering wheel with one hand and the other holding her phone to her ear. It rang once before finally a voice answered.

"This is Kennedy speaking." Leon's familiar, deep masculine voice answered. He must have not bothered looking at the name of the caller and instead answered swiftly.

"Leon," Claire breathed, "thank God you answered."

"Claire? What's going on?" His voice sounded alarmed and she could imagine his stoic, calm, expression at that moment.

"There was an outbreak in New York. There are zombies everywhere." Claire answered, turning her car around the corner. She passed numerous zombies who made a sad attempt to stumble after her.

"I'll send a team for you immediately. Get yourself somewhere safe and wait. Don't be reckless and do something stupid either Claire."

Claire smiled amused despite the situation, "I'll try Kennedy but you know how I am."

"Claire." He called her name in what sounded like a warning tone.

She sighed. He obviously didn't appreciate her humor. "Look Leon I'll be fine; it's not like I'm new at this situation.." She stopped talking when she suddenly spotted what appeared to be a young blonde in the street.

'_Sherry?' _Claire immediately swerved her car to avoid hitting the girl and her car spun in a circle. She screamed loudly as the car crashed into a nearby metal lamp pole. The impact was hard and the pain that followed was excruciating.

"Claire? Claire! Can you hear me?" Leon's voice called loudly through her phone device now discarded on the floor.

Claire's eyes were fluttering, head pounding painfully, as the smell of smoke hit her nose. She felt extremely light-headed. It was as if she couldn't move a finger. Everything hurt too much. A small groan escaped her lips as her eyelashes fluttered shut, body numbed from head to toe. The faint sounds of moaning and shuffling were heard briefly before her mind blackened and she was gone.

**

* * *

**

**End of part IV**

**Author's note: **After re-reading the Chris and Jill scene in this chapter, I realized it seems out of place. Their relationship is really only hinted on in this story but I wanted them to have some 'airing time.'

And I guess if anyone hasn't noticed – Steve in this story is influenced a lot by _The Darkside Chronicles _(looks/appearance especially!). Although there are mixes of his Code Veronica character as well.

As always I appreciate feedback; don't be shy! Much thanks goes out to everyone who reviewed last chapter.

End of Part IV


	5. Part V

**Between The Lines **

.

Part V

.

"_Our love's floating up in the sky in heaven, where it began back in God's hands." –In God's Hands; Nelly Furtado_

* * *

A soft, pained groan escaped feminine lips. Eyelashes fluttered rapidly, vision still spinning and unclear. Finally her surroundings began to clear and she caught the flicker of bright reddish hair.

"…Steve…," She croaked weakly, her voice breaking.

The red haired male was starring at her somewhat concernedly. His hand touched her forehead but the touch felt unfamiliar—like that of a stranger's. Claire's mind finally cleared and her bright orbs glanced up at the unfamiliar face of an attractive somewhat younger male. He did have red hair like Steve's but his eyes were a dark brown color, like chocolate. His face was more defined too. He looked mature, probably approaching his late twenties. He had a cleft in his chin and despite the fact that he wasn't smiling she could make out the imprints of dimpled cheeks.

"Are you feeling alright? That was quite a blow you were dealt." He asked. His voice was deep and Claire could make out the hint of Spanish accent in his voice. He was probably from Spain descent; she heard some of them had red hair despite that his skin tone was a pretty light peachy tone.

"I'm fine.." She mumbled weakly and attempted to sit up quickly. It turned out to be a very bad idea because instantly a rush of dizziness came to her. She gasped in pain and would have fallen back had not she been held upwards by him.

"Easy there." He murmured lowly, helping her upwards slowly.

Claire held a hand to her head and glanced over at him. Of course he wasn't Steve. Steve had died in the future too. She couldn't stop it. And now Sherry and Regina were dead too. It was like a domino effect. Blow after blow. She didn't know how much more loss she could suffer.

But she had seen…

"I saw…a girl in the streets." She said, eyebrows furrowing down trying to remember despite the throbbing in her head. It even hurt to try to think.

The male's expression changed and he almost appeared irritated. "That was Abagail."

"Abagail?" Claire questioned but a sudden noise interrupted them.

It was the same blonde she had almost run into the road earlier. Upon looking at her closely, Claire realized that she too had mistaken her for someone else. She did have similarities to Sherry, however. The short, blonde hair and childlike face was accurate but the similarities ended there. This girl had like her companion, had a set of brown eyes more like caramel, and her figure was petite but there were hints of developing curves. She looked like she was a teenager.

"Those things are crowded up at the doors and boarded up windows." Abagail pointed out in a soft voice.

"I told you to stay put. You could have been killed earlier when you left."

Abagail blew her bangs out of her face exasperated. "I said I was sorry Sebastian."

The red haired man, who appeared to be named Sebastian, ran fingers through his hair. Claire couldn't figure out the relationship between the two exactly but it appeared like they were partners in this. The idea reminded her so much of the times where she had been partnered up with Leon and then Steve. It made her feel slightly wistful.

"We have to get out of here. It won't be long before they burst into here as well." Claire said as a matter-of-factly.

"Are you crazy? There are tons of them out there!" Abagail exclaimed incredulously.

Claire shook her head. It sounded stupid she knew but she also knew that the small store wouldn't hold them out for long. And that was if there weren't already some of them inside.

"We have to keep running. I've already called for help so—we just have to stay alive in the mean time."

The blonde didn't seem appeased but Sebastian was already loading up his shotgun. He rested the weapon on his shoulder and looked around observant. "She has a point. And besides zombies aren't the only things we're dealing with. I doubt those things can be held out by mere wood."

Abagail muttered something under her breath that Claire couldn't make out. It didn't matter either way. If she was already starting to dislike Claire it wasn't important. Their survival was top priority.

Claire felt in her jeans and was relieved to find her handgun still by her side. She pulled it out checking the chamber. It was still pretty full. She closed it and unlocked the safety. She was the veteran at this situation. It was her duty to make sure the two got out of this.

"I'll lead, just follow me." She declared clenching the gun in her grasp.

The two walked behind Claire as she walked towards the metal door at the end. She began to unlock it while holding her gun. Her fingers grasped the door knob and opened it quickly, aiming her gun readily at anything that would jump out at them. They were met with silence and nothing else. She released a breath and headed out the door into the dark alley. A lone zombie was found shuffling in the alley and she quickly disposed of it with a head shot. The sounds of low moaning and shuffling were heard in the background. They needed to get somewhere safe to lay low. Like a warehouse…

'_That's it!'_

"There's a sealed up warehouse down Avenue H where we can be safe. It's just a block from here." Claire stated looking around her surroundings.

"That works. But that means we have to use the open streets to get there." Sebastian nodded.

Abagail stiffened, positioned behind Sebastian, and Claire could see the horror come across her face. In the open streets most of the zombies were staggering around. They would have to run around them to get to safety. It wouldn't be hard due to the openness of the roads but it wasn't going to be pleasant either.

"They aren't fast. We can avoid them and run." Claire assured noticing the girl's trepidation. She felt sympathy for the young girl. It certainly wasn't a pleasant experience for a young girl to have to deal with.

"I'm scared," she whispered softly, voice shaking in fear.

Sebastian glanced over at her noticing her body shaking. He felt sympathy towards her despite the fact that he didn't know her very well still. He felt sort of an unwritten obligation for him to protect her. It was hard to explain but he just did. She was the age his younger sister had been after all…

"Just hold my hand and don't let go." He said calmly and held his hand out to her. She hesitated before reaching out and grasping his hand in hers. It was big…and warm. Her fears suddenly were calmed a bit.

"Ready?" Claire asked lowering her gun to her side.

The two nodded and then the three ran down the empty alley into the open streets. Abagail had ever right to be frightened. The streets were a mess. Many zombies were either standing still in wait or staggering around aimlessly until they spotted the three live, breathing humans. It was then they began to stagger towards them slowly yet it was enough to invoke fear upon them. The smell was strong—rancid like a strong smell of spoiled milk several days old. The three kept running and up ahead two zombies were on the floor feeding upon the now dead body of what appeared a young female. Munching sounds echoed and Abagail wailed, squeezing Sebastian's hands frightened. They ran around the feeding zombies and continued their mad dash.

Claire's chest heaved up and down with every breath as she led the way down the streets. It was dark and the street lamps lit the pathway eerily. She could hear the shuffling and moaning sounds behind them and dared not falter to take a peek at the opposition behind them. They couldn't afford a distraction. She spotted the warehouse up ahead and hope filled her.

"There!" She exclaimed.

They jumped over the wired fence and made their way into the warehouse through the metal door. Sebastian locked it in place behind them, making sure to board it up with a discarded pipe through the handles of the door. The huge warehouse was already lit with the lights allowing them to notice its hugeness.

"I can't believe we made it." Abagail sighed brushing her bangs out of her face.

"There could be some of them in here. We have to take them out before we can relax." Claire muttered making her way towards the steps that led to an upper pathway and door. Sebastian was right behind her with Abagail at his tail.

They made their way across the upper pathway and through the door. It led towards a dark corridor that was barely lit with bulbs that flickered on and off. Sebastian looked around and then turned towards Abagail.

"You should wait in the other part for us."

She froze, eyes widening and then narrowing in stubbornness. "I'm not staying out there without you two. You said we were in this together."

He sighed and parted his lips to probably argue but Claire cut him off. "She's safer with us. It's dangerous for her to be alone and unarmed."

Sebastian pressed his lips together obviously not pleased with the idea of Abagail heading into dangerous areas with them but he agreed with Claire's reasoning. She after all seemed to know what she was doing. He wasn't exactly sure how though but it didn't matter at this point.

"Fine..,"

The three continued down the corridor cautiously, weapons aimed. For the most part there didn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary. It appeared like the warehouse was abandoned of anything. The light bulbs flickered off then and they were left in darkness. Claire blinked trying to adjust her eyes to the darkness. Suddenly a loud cry alarmed her, making her turn around swiftly, weapon aimed at darkness.

"Abagail!" She heard Sebastian cry and rushing footsteps that were more than likely him.

She could barely make out his departing figure as well as another huddled into the corner. A screeching sound of something was heard and the sound of air swishing. Sebastian's groan of pain was heard along with Abagail's wail of horror. Claire dashed forwards stopping shortly as she made out a much bigger, deadlier figure up ahead. The lights finally flickered on and she made out the Licker with its long tongue flickering out. She didn't hesitate in aiming and shooting it dead on in the back of its head, embedding a hole. It hissed and screeched in pain, turning and dashing at her. She dodged the slashing attack and ended up near Abagail who was now holding Sebastian in her arms protectively. His shotgun discarded on the ground a few feet away from them.

The Licker turned around, blood dripping from beady eyes, and its claws elongated and sharp enough to rip through bark even. Claire jumped for the shotgun as it raced towards her and she aimed it, shooting swiftly. The loud gunshot echoed in the small corridor as well as the loud screeching sound of the creature. It fell back with the blow and Claire shot again, this time decapitating it. A puddle of blood gathered and oozed from the now dead and headless creature.

She sighed in relief and turned her attention towards her other companions. Abagail was sniffing, tears running down her porcelain cheeks, holding onto a wounded Sebastian. Blood was soaking his white shirt and Claire could make out the long scratch mark across his chest. He was breathing heavily, his face distorted in pain and agony. They would have to take care of his wounds and fast otherwise he would bleed to death. Claire looked around. She had to search through the place in hopes of finding some first aid items but she didn't want to leave the two alone. After pumping the shotgun, Claire held it out to Abagail. The young girl looked wide-eyed at the weapon and then back to Claire uncertain.

"I'm going to look around to see if I can find something to help him. Take the gun and if anything, and I mean anything, appears don't hesitate to shoot it."

Abagail's lips parted, nothing coming out but air, and then she closed it. Something like determination set in her caramel eyes. She raised her hand and took the gun in one while still holding onto Sebastian with the other. Claire smiled, a brief, supporting smile, before she turned on her heels and out the door at the end of the corridor. She had to hurry.

* * *

There were several rooms past the last room she came through. She went through the first one and found several zombies that were more than likely the workers and shot them with her handgun without hesitation. It appeared to be the break room. She found a handgun on one of the men, more than likely the guard, and pocketed it. Afterwards she dug through the cabinets in the nearby bathroom at the end and found a first aid spray and a bandage wrap. Relieved, she placed the items in her pocket and made her way back the way she came from. While heading back she heard a loud, deep roaring sound and froze in her tracks. It was coming from the door at the end of hall. She hesitated before realizing she didn't have anymore time.

Abagail and Sebastian were still in the same place she had left them. The blonde's eyes were wide and she was looking everywhere alarmed and ready. When she spotted Claire relief came across her soft features.

"Thank god you're back…" She muttered placing the shotgun down finding no reason to clutch onto it anymore.

Claire kneeled beside Sebastian whose eyelashes fluttered open at the sight of her. He groaned lowly, weakly, under his breath. Claire pushed his shirt up and her eyes widened in horror at the sight of his wound. The scratch was long and deeper than she expected. It ran down from the top of his chest to his lean, muscular stomach. The skin was ripped, spreading apart in a line through his skin where blood was seeping out from.

"This will sting." Claire said softly pulling out the first aid spray.

Sebastian nodded weakly, eyes shutting whether in pain or preparation she wasn't sure. She shook the can and then sprayed it onto this wound. He hissed instantly, face distorting in pain, and Abagail clutched onto his hand supportively. Claire sprayed a bit more until she was sure his wound wouldn't get disinfected. Afterwards she tied the bandage wrap around his chest slowly and made sure it was tight enough to soak up the blood.

"There. How are you holding up?" She asked concerned.

Sebastian opened his eyes slowly. He looked tired. "I've been better." He said weakly.

Claire stood up then and turned around facing the opposite door. She had to go check what that noise was earlier now. If she didn't then it could take them by surprise later on. As soon as she began to walk away Sebastian stopped her.

"Where are you going, you—"He stopped, wanting to call her by her name but realizing he didn't know it yet.

Claire smiled seeming to realize what he meant. "Claire. I'm Claire." She introduced and then turned her attention towards the door. "I heard something earlier and I'm going to check it out. It sounded big."

She heard shifting sounds and Sebastian was getting to his feet, stumbling weakly, while balancing the shotgun over his shoulder.

"Sebastian!" Abagail called his name worriedly. "Sit down, you're hurt!"

He shook his head stubbornly. "I'm fine. I'm going with her."

Abagail bit her lip and Claire remembered the handgun she found. She pulled it out and held it out to her. The blonde took the gun into her hands eyeing it.

"I found it. Use it if you run into anything."

She nodded and looked at the two worriedly. "Please be careful…" She pleaded; her eyes wide and childlike.

"We will sweetie. Don't hesitate to run if you must, okay?" Claire said soothingly, almost in a motherly tone that she often used on people younger than her especially younger girls.

Abagail looked up to her with her childlike eyes. She was a pretty girl. In ways she reminded Claire of Sherry so much that she couldn't help but project a protective, caring motherly vibe towards her. The blonde nodded her head in understanding and clutching the weapon in her hands ready. Despite her youth she looked resourceful. They wouldn't delay that long either way.

Claire turned her attention to Sebastian who was watching her, head cocked to his side slightly. He was either really brave or really stupid and reckless.

"You should stay with her."

"I'm not letting you face that thing alone, Claire." He replied back simply.

Her lips twitched a bit. His tough macho guy act reminded her a bit like Steve. At the thought she felt an overwhelming feeling of sadness and longing stir in her. Just when she realized how she felt about him… She shook the thoughts away. Now wasn't the time to be distracted. She'd figure out everything else later.

The two walked down the corridor, through the door, and headed through the other hall. There were two more doors Claire hadn't checked earlier.

"Let's each check a room and meet up in about five minutes."

Sebastian nodded and took the nearest door while Claire took the one at the end. She opened the door and closed it behind her quietly. It was a small room filled with papers and boxes. She assumed it was the office room. Her crystal blue eyes darted away seeing if she noticed anything out of the ordinary and spotted nothing. There was another door at the end and she decided to check in there as well. Her fingers grasped the knob and turned it, gun ready and aimed for anything. She opened the door and found herself on the upper deck of the warehouse. After taking a few steps down the walkway she looked over and saw how high up she was. Abagail was spotted at the bottom, pacing back and forth, gun aimed in every direction but for no reason. They shouldn't have left her alone. It was obvious she was beyond frightened.

Claire parted her lips to yell something to her but then a loud, growling sound was heard. She stopped and looked ahead startled. It was big and walked on two legs. More than likely it was an experimented creature. Its skin was a green shade and there were some parts of the flesh ripped showing red muscle tissue underneath. Long arms elongated in front of it as its nails flexed, long and sharp as steel. It had red boils on its neck along with red glowing eyes and a face distorted in every way almost appearing burned.

She stepped back raising her gun, eyes narrowed. Her finger began to ease on the trigger but she then spotted something that made her stop. There was a flash of silver dog tags that hung around its neck. One of them had a green edged rim around it.

"_You're secretly obsessed with green aren't you, Chris?"_

Her finger slipped from the trigger and her eyes widened in horror and recognition. This _thing_ didn't look anything like her older brother and yet… It was him.

"Oh god, Chris…," Claire breathed in disbelief, feeling her body begin to tremble as she lowered her gun.

The creature roared and charged at her. Claire screamed in pain as its long claws made in contact with her shoulder, scratching and ripping through the skin. Her body felt like it went aflame. It burned and ached. She urged her body forward and ended up jumping up ahead a few feet away from the creature on the other side facing the door. It turned around swiftly and gave a screeching sound, hands raised. Her gun was still clenched in her left hand and yet Claire couldn't raise her gun.

"Chris, no, it's me; Claire." She pleaded feeling her eyes water.

It wasn't her brother anymore, she knew that. And yet she could still never hurt him. It started approaching her slowly and Claire realized she was trapped. The walkway was too thin to try to run past it and if she fell, it was to her death. Her body began to give small tremors and then she saw a figure appear behind it. A strong numbing feeling came across her body when she saw him raise his shotgun.

_No!_

"No, don't shoot!" She cried out but it was already too late.

The loud sound of a gunshot echoed in the warehouse along with the loud, shrieking sound of something entirely inhuman. Claire watched in horror as it fell down with a thud, blood pooling around its body. She was shaking uncontrollable and wasn't aware of the tears that had already began to drip down her cheeks. It took much energy for her to push her body over to what had once been her beloved older brother. Her fingers touched it, feeling instant coldness and hardness underneath her fingertips. Her fingertips felt sticky, blood sticking to her skin, and despite the bile rising up her throat from the sight she didn't pull away—couldn't find the strength to do so.

"Chris…" She called, softly, painfully.

Sebastian was by her side immediately. His expression was perplexed but suddenly it appeared like he realized what had happened and sympathy came across his handsome features.

"Claire." He murmured her name quietly.

"Just go…"

"What? What are you saying?" He furrowed his eyebrows. Stubbornness set in his handsome features.

"Go!" Claire ordered, voice filled with heavy emotion. He hesitated before finally turning on his heels and walking away slowly.

"I'll be back."

And then she was alone with her once brother. She couldn't have wanted more than anything at that moment than to have it be her instead of him dead.

* * *

"Sebastian!" Abagail cried out, running over to him eagerly. She noticed something different about him almost immediately. His position was stiff, and he appeared to be conflicted about something. She cocked her head to her side. "What's wrong?"

"Claire—I had to kill someone she knew I think."

Abagail's expression softened and she felt a strong sense of empathy at that moment. She had lost her parents too to those things outside. Then again all of them had. It was probably why they all understood each other well.

"I see…"

"I have to go back for her. She ordered me to go but…" He stopped, lips pursed, and concern etched across his face.

The blonde shook her head, "Leave her be."

"What? Are you crazy?"

Abagail was looking away, her expression so distant. Eyelashes fluttered lowly and she wet her lips. "She just lost someone Sebastian. We can't make her want to live if she doesn't want to. It's like trying to order the sun not to shine; it doesn't work that way."

Sebastian frowned obviously not enjoying her reasoning despite the truthfulness of it. "We have to make her."

Abagail looked over at him and smiled although it was a sad smile. "If only it were that easy…" She muttered softly.

It was at that moment that Sebastian realized that their suffering ran deeper than anyone else could ever know. He was suddenly reminded of his little sister that he had lost. Their parents had turned into zombies right in front of their eyes and he had to gun them down to protect themselves. She hadn't taken the loss well and had proceeded to shot herself with the discarded weapon. He had tried to stop her, pounded on the locked bathroom door yelling at her to please come out, all the while hearing the clicking of her taking off the safety from the gun. She too had lost the will to live.

"Damnit!" He cried out slamming his fist onto the wall bruising his knuckles but not caring. They felt raw afterwards from the slam but it was a numbing pain compared to everything else.

It wasn't fair. God couldn't be this cruel. Yet at that moment he couldn't help but wonder if there truly was a God after all…

* * *

Her throat felt extremely dry. Claire didn't know how long she was lying there so near and yet so far away from the dead body. Her body was sticky with blood and the dizziness that came upon her was almost satisfying. Her body felt numbed. She rose up the dog tags above her, glancing up at her brother's name imprinted on the metal. She felt so tired…

Claire closed her eyes, feeling her head spin.

Was she still alive? Did it even matter anymore?

Sudden heavy, sharp pains ran through Claire's head. She gasped in pain and rolled onto her side, clutching her hands into fists. The stabbing pain if anything felt even more painful than before. It felt like a thousand needles pricking inside her head, slowly, painfully. She coughed and was shocked to find herself coughing up blood.

Was she dying?

Despite the cloudiness of her mind she thought about everyone she had lost. Steve…Sherry…Regina…Chris. Was Jill dead too? Or was her fate now even worse than death? None of them had deserved to die. Had she caused on this upon them?

"_I think everyone would want to change the mistakes in their past; its normal. But I think that things happen for a reason and it's not up to us to alter them."_

Jill... She could hear her words so clearly despite the pain. And she knew what to do then. The answer had been always in front of her when everything started going downhill but she had turned her head away refusing to see. It was the original path—she had to take the original path. Steve's and Sherry's fate was already determined—she couldn't control it as much as she wanted to. It wasn't hers to change. Everything must be returned back to God's hands.

_I'm sorry…_

Pitch blackness came upon Claire.

* * *

"I have to find my brother."

Sherry blinked with wide childlike eyes and something like acknowledgement came across her young face. Leon was by her side, his chest wrapped up in bandages with blood drenching his police uniform. Claire felt herself freeze as she watched them both look at her waiting, knowing what was coming all too well as she did.

"Go." Was Leon's simple response. It held little civility.

She glanced at him. His shoulders were still so tall despite the beating he had taken in their last battle. He looked tired and yet unwilling to rest. His steely eyes met hers and although she saw the disappointment and anger in his eyes she knew he understood her. Because her brother was all she had left now.

Claire turned away not daring to look at then again, feeling guilty. She began walking away but then faltered and turned her head back looking at Sherry. The young blonde was watching her with sadness and loneliness.

"Sherry…" She called her name softly and when the girl looked up, she merely smiled and continued on her way.

'_I'll find you again…I promise.'_

Things began to spin. Her head felt light, like she was floating into nothingness. Her heart willed her mind to listen; to give her one _last _moment of happiness before she would give it all back. It would probably only hurt her more in the end but she wished whole-heartedly for it, then she would manage the strength to move on. Blackness came upon her for a second time.

* * *

Claire shifted, eyelashes fluttering open and trying to process her hazy surroundings. Had she fallen asleep? Blue eyes glanced down at her hands and body surprised to find herself back in her nineteen year old body. Had her mind actually listened to her and took her back to her past time with Steve?

It was quiet, only the sounds of outside life were heard from the slightly opened window. She sat up from the couch where she had apparently fallen asleep on. Her eyes darted around the room trying to take in her surroundings.

"Steve?" She called softly, getting no response in return. A sigh escaped her lips until she heard the sound of a door opening then and closing.

Steve was somehow balancing a white box along with two cups of what appeared hot chocolate in his hands. He looked funny; his eyebrows furrowed down in concentration, lips slightly pursed, all the while his hands were being forced to cooperate. Claire was unable to stop herself from smiling and standing up to greet him. She pressed an earnest kiss against his lips and he stiffened, taken back by her sudden forwardness. He returned the kiss briefly until the burning in his hands reminded him what he was holding and with much disappointment and a groan he pulled away.

"I bought us some breakfast," he said placing the items on the table and sat down soon after urging her to do the same.

Claire sat in front of him and opened the box grabbing out a chocolate donut to enjoy. The bread was still warm, the chocolate melting on her tongue, as she munched thoughtfully on the food. She wasn't really hungry nor in the mood to eat but she appreciated his kind gesture and didn't want to be rude. Time was running though and she knew she didn't have that much time left in his company. Her eyes glanced over to Steve. He was blowing onto his cup of chocolate obviously not patient enough to let it cool off itself. She smiled as he took a gulp and afterwards shoved down a chocolate donut in his mouth. She found herself hypnotized at the small amount of chocolate he had left on the corner of his mouth, staring without meaning to. Steve appeared to notice her staring and glanced over at her, blinking unaware of it.

"Something wrong Claire?" He asked obliviously.

A part of her wanted to lick the chocolate off. Taste his smooth skin. The thoughts made her skin tingle in anticipation. Their first time had been slightly rushed, uncertain. The second time was always different. Their bodies would be more used to the other, more in tune.

"Nothing," she hummed with a shake of her head taking a sip of her drink as well.

After Steve ate another round of donuts the two sat on the couch watching television. Their fingers were entwined, warmth spreading through the contact. A guy on the television was speaking but Claire couldn't focus enough to catch his words. Her eyes met with Steve's suddenly and she wasn't too sure who made the move first; perhaps they both were guilty.

She sighed in content, fingers running into his red strands of hair, as her lips molded against his. His hands were on her hips, tightening in response to her sigh, and then afterwards rubbing his thumbs across the exposed skin of her sides where her shirt had risen. She could practically taste the chocolate in his mouth from the donuts he had eaten. She found herself eager for more of a taste. Her lips pressed harder against his, teeth slightly grazing his lower lip all the while his lips parted from the action allowing her to have a deeper taste. He pulled away to catch his breath, and his eyelashes fluttered open, light gray eyes clouded in passion.

"Claire," he called her name, voice sounding heavy with want.

Her fingers went up to his buttoned up shirt and began to fumble with the buttons. She managed to get half of the buttons down before Steve stopped her.

"What are you doing?" He asked dumbfound, eyebrows raised.

Claire gave him a dry expression, one that said _i__sn't it obvious?_

He must have understood because his cheeks colored somewhat and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed.

"I want you," she mumbled continuing on with unbuttoning his shirt now that he was distracted. His shirt opened then as she unbuttoned the last button revealing his open chest and stomach. Her hands went up, her warm palm darting up from the muscles of his firm stomach up to his just as fit chest. He wasn't as built as other men she knew, like Chris or even Leon but he wasn't scrawny either. He must have worked out while in prison; after all what else was there to do?

Steve took in a deep breath, his chest moving with the action. Claire slipped off the shirt and Steve allowed her to without any protest. She leaned in and pressed a kiss to his warm chest. He stiffened in surprise and Claire found herself pushed back, his hands on her shoulders, and his lips slammed against hers as if his mind finally processed where she was going with her actions. She returned the kiss with just as much fervor as his hands were working on slipping the vest off her shoulders. She pulled back from the kiss briefly to slip her vest off along with her shirt before pressing her lips back against his as if she couldn't bear a moment apart from them.

Steve pulled away catching his breath and began to trail soft kisses down her neck, chest and then to her flat stomach. Her skin burned pleasantly everywhere he kissed. She opened her eyes, head feeling slightly light-headed, and found Steve watching her. She flushed slightly at the appreciate stare he was giving her.

"What?" She questioned with a quizzical brow.

He merely smiled, "nothing. You sure you want to do this here and not the bed?"

She hadn't really thought about it. At this point it didn't matter to her. She merely wanted to touch him, _feel_ him.

"It doesn't matter," she said simply, pushing on his shoulders so that he stumbled back onto the couch. The arm of the couch dug into his back.

"Wha—" He started to say but Claire cut him off by kissing him, his words dying instantly.

Claire shifted her body so that she was now straddling him, making it easier. Her head tilted, lips parting, allowing him to be able to kiss her deeper which he so gladly obliged. His tongue in her mouth slightly distracted her but she continued, moving her fingers down to begin to work on his belt. She undid the belt and began to work on the button and zipper of his jeans. She pulled away then, catching her breath while panting a bit, and merely stared at him. She tried to mark everything into her memory. How he looked, how he felt, how he _kissed_…

Steve opened his eyes noticing her abrupt stop and looked at her. Gray eyes met blue eyes.

"I love you," she mumbled softly, so soft that he almost didn't hear it himself.

He smiled and pulled her down onto him, pressing his lips against hers earnestly. She melted into his embrace instantly. He would show her how much he loved her.

* * *

Claire awoke in her bed. Her eyes darted to the clock that read that it was close to the afternoon and then to her sleeping bedmate. She was sated. Her body ached either from when they made love on the couch or her being on top that time as well. The second time they had decided the bed would be more comfortable.

She pulled the covers up to cover her bare chest as she leaned over to watch Steve sleep. His expression was soft, relaxed. She smiled and pressed a kiss to his forehead knowing her time was up. Her body trembled in the realization of what was going to happen. Stifling a sob, Claire forced herself to take a deep breath and relax. She didn't _want_ to leave. The thoughts of Chris suddenly flashed in her mind, his body mutated and dead, and she regained her strength.

Claire slipped out of her covers, sparing a final longing glance at Steve's sleeping form. She closed her eyes then focusing and on cue the pain attacks returned. She gasped in pain, trying to hold herself up but stumbling onto the ground. Her head pounded painfully, numbing all her other senses so that she could only focus on the pain. She blackened immediately after without delay.

* * *

Pain. She felt immense pain. The grip around her body was tight, squeezing the very life out of her without remorse. She let out little gasps, her eyelashes fluttering open to take in her surroundings. Steve was near her, holding a giant axe in his hands but he was no longer the young red haired boy. He was a tyrant; an experiment of Alexia's. She shut her eyes even though she knew the axe would never touch her. His voice croaked out her name, distortedly, before instead he cut the tentacles that tied her but not without them piercing his side in retaliation.

Claire fell to the ground just as the tentacles drew back and Steve's body slammed into the wall changing back to his human form.

"Steve!" She cried out his name rushing over to him.

He was so pale. His reddish strands of hair looked even brighter due to his almost white complexion. There was a strong, sickly scent of iron in the air from the massive amount of blood that was dripping from his wound. He raised her hand against his cheek and she felt the coolness of his skin radiate under her palm. He felt chilled to the bone.

"You're…warm…" He mumbled lowly, weakly, almost nuzzling her hand against his cool cheek.

He looked oddly so peaceful and tranquil despite his death right around the corner. Claire felt herself blink away tears. God, it hurt even more the second time around seeing him die. She felt herself tremble and tears began to fall down her porcelain cheeks_. Drip, drop._

He looked happy. He was dying and yet he looked happy. She wanted to smile for him but she couldn't manage even a ghost of a smile. Her heart was breaking.

"Steve…"

It wouldn't be much longer now. In a few seconds he would be gone for good.

She gulped, her throat feeling suddenly so dry. What she wanted to say then wasn't what she had said originally. But now that she knew how she felt, she couldn't hold it down. Maybe it would save him—emotionally that is. He would die knowing that his feelings were indeed returned.

"I love you." Claire whispered softly, her hand beginning to shake under his grasp.

He smiled, weakly and yet tenderly, and closed his eyes briefly before opening them again. The light was fading in his eyes; she could see it. It was a sign that the end was so close. She knew it, he knew it and yet she didn't want to accept it. At this point it didn't matter though; death didn't care if someone else was unready or unwilling to let the dying person go.

"I love you too. I'm…glad that I met you…Claire…" His head fell forward slowly then and she felt his grip slip from hers. Her hand dropped down to her side immediately afterwards and silence ensued.

"Steve…" She called and then proceeded to shake him a little rough out of desperation. "Steve!"

It was in vain she knew and yet she couldn't stop herself. She shook him and shook him until her arms began to burn and ache. Reality sunk in. A sob escaped her lips and she fell into his dead, cold chest. She sobbed and sobbed clutching onto him. The tears continued to run down her cheeks and it was as if they would never cease. How she wished it could all be a dream. That everything was okay and had worked out like she had wanted. But there was no "perfect happy ending" in real life and the reality of it made her slightly bitter.

Her sobs finally quieted but it didn't stop the tears from continuing to fall. Claire closed her eyes and everything suddenly felt so cold—numbing. What happened to all the warmth?

"I love you…I'm so sorry." Claire muttered although it fell on deaf ears. He was gone.

And even though this was what she had to do, her heart cried out to her against the cruelness of it all.

She sniffed and brushed her fingertips across Steve's cheeks. His eyes were shut eternally and he looked so much younger. Like the day she saw him sleeping in her apartment. She leaned in, brushing her lips against his cool ones briefly, and pulled away feeling the anguish overwhelm her. The remembrance of how warm and soft his lips had been against hers before brought more tears to her eyes. Her body began to shake uncontrollably.

Remembering was the hardest thing. Remembering how things were—how things _could_ have been.

Claire brushed Steve's bangs out of his face then. "Goodbye Steve…"

She stood up then slowly and awaited the numbing pain to come. It didn't take very long before the stabbing sensation in her head returned. It felt this time like someone was tearing her from the inside out. She cried out in pain, falling to her knees, all the while holding her arms around herself as if to try to protect herself. Maybe this was the end for her too. Heavy, little gasps escaped her lips as she fell forward still hugging herself. The stabbing pain didn't stop but instead increased by every minute. Over and over again. Claire shut her eyes tight, feeling her body tremble in pain, and it wasn't long before pitch blackness overcame her.

* * *

"I should have been there."

Jill looked over at Chris who was staring through the glass window to the hospital room with Claire inside. He looked tired, having noticeable bags under his eyes. With Claire being unconscious for two days straight, Chris had taken it upon himself to never leave her side unless it was to use the restroom and to shower, of course. Even eating was something he ignored to be by her side.

"You couldn't have known. None of us could." Jill reassured him calmly.

Chris's shoulders slouched and he suddenly looked so defeated. It was one of those rare moments that he appeared vulnerable. Jill couldn't imagine the pain he was feeling seeing his younger sister in the hospital bed fighting for her life. She placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. Warmth radiated from the touch and she felt jolts run through her body but he for the most part seemed unaffected. At another time maybe he would have.

"Chris. Jill." Another voice called out to them.

The two turned to find Leon heading towards them. The three exchanged greetings and afterwards Leon turned his attention to Claire beyond them. From the window he could see her form covered in a white hospital gown and a blanket on top. Her face looked so thin and the bags under her eyes dark and noticeable. Her normally bright and beautiful complexion was now pale as the reddish-brown strands of her hair flowed past her shoulders.

"How is she doing?" Leon asked concerned.

"Same." Chris answered with a heavy sigh. "Doctor's won't say anything official yet."

"And the man responsible?"

Upon hearing Leon's question Chris's lips curled in anger and hatred. How he wished he could kill that _man._ To make his sister end up in the hospital was unforgivable. And to think she was so trusting of him. _Bastard._

"They caught him trying to flee and arrested him. It turns out he used to work with Umbrella secretly and was working on a secret project to reverse its downfall. But he needed a test subject…" Jill stopped feeling the need to go no more into details.

His name wasn't even Blake it turned out. It was just an alias. Why he had targeting Claire wasn't clear but Jill figured it was because he had been friends with her and she was all too helpful. Not to mention she was the sister of one of the people that helped to take down Umbrella. It still didn't mean she deserved this.

The doctor appeared then before them. He was an older man in his late thirties with dark hair that had a few strands of white in the mix. He held a clipboard in his hand.

"Doctor, how's my sister's progress?" Chris questioned immediately.

"Your sister is showing very ill signs mentally and physically Mr. Redfield. There is a great strain on her body and her brain waves have been disrupted and battered."

Jill saw the anguish come across Chris's face and she felt the same feeling overtake her as well. It was as if she could feel his pain. She could feel the terrible weight of sadness and pain flowing through his body. Her feet felt frozen to the ground beneath her.

"What's that mean?"

"The medication in her system damaged her brain. She appears to have a tumor in her brain as a result."

A tumor….a deadly tumor.

Chris clenched his fists so tightly that he thought he might have broken through the skin with his nails. He should have killed that bastard, made him suffer as much as he made Claire. It was over and done with and yet Claire was still paying for it dearly.

"We can undergo surgery to remove the tumor but there is no guarantee it will succeed." The doctor added calmly.

Chris nodded weighing the options. It might all end up being false hope but they had to take this chance. He wouldn't let Claire die. He just wouldn't.

'_You're not dying on me Claire. I won't let you.'_

"Go ahead with it." Chris said assertively.

The doctor nodded and was gone. Leon continued to watch Claire from the viewable glass window as Jill turned her attention to Chris. He was staring and yet not seeing. There was emptiness in his facial expression. Nothing radiated back and that scared and worried her. He had been there for her so supportively when she had returned from Kijiuru broken and now it was her turn to be there for him through this hard time.

The brunette reached over and took his hand in her grasp. His hand was so much bigger than hers and warm to the touch. It spread tiny goose bumps across her skin. Her heart fluttered in her chest at the contact. Despite the fact that they weren't a "couple" it felt natural to her to hold his hand. Something as natural as breathing.

"It's going to be okay, Chris." Jill commented softly, soothingly.

Chris didn't look at her or even acknowledge her and she felt a bit dejected by it. It was only until she felt his fingers entwine in hers that she realized he had heard her. His blue eyes glanced down at her briefly and she spotted the many flickers of emotion flash in his eyes. Just as quickly as their eyes met he looked away however. She tried not to be too disappointed by this. A gentle squeeze brought her back to reality and she darted her glance back up to him despite the fact that he didn't met her gaze this time. The little action told her it all though.

_Thanks._

She smiled, squeezing his hand back in response, and turned her eyes ahead towards Claire. Claire would survive. She was a fighter just like them. There was no doubt in Jill's mind that she would make it.

'_It's not your time just yet Claire…'_

* * *

It was dark and there was fog everywhere. She reached out aimlessly, wandering without any destination in mind; a path with no ends. Something caught her eye and she heard his soft, low voice call out her name.

"Claire…"

Claire walked ahead and stopped when she spotted Steve up ahead at a distance. He was smiling that boyish smile of his and his reddish strands of hair were over his eye again. Despite the darkness she could see him so clearly. Like a light in the darkness.

"Steve..," She breathed his name taking steps towards him.

He raised a hand up alarming her to stop in which she did hesitantly. She blinked noticing then his wardrobe consisted of white.

"Don't blame yourself anymore, Claire, okay? Everything is going to be fine, trust me."

His voice was soft and smooth like velvet.

She licked her lips, unable to stop the pounding of her heart at that moment. He looked…beautiful. Like a red haired angel. A part of her wanted to touch him to see if he felt just as soft as she thought.

"Steve I…"

He cut her off, "I know." He smiled then, a gentle, and yet somewhat bashful smile.

"Live your life Claire. Keep going and don't look back anymore."

He reached his hand out and Claire immediately did the same. Their fingers touched and she felt something wonderful run down her body. It was like a piercing light sensation that filled her body. It was warming—comforting. Like a piece of him entered her body and filled it to the core.

"I'll see you on the other side Steve," she mumbled.

Outside of her dream Claire smiled, her fingers twitching, and the machine beeped to life.

_

* * *

_

3 weeks later…

The operation had been successful. The tumors were gone and Claire was back to living her normal life—whatever normalcy was for her.

Claire placed a heavy, brown box down onto the floor with a sigh of relief. They finally had all of her things in Chris's apartment. After coming home from the hospital it was still impossible for Claire to deal with all the information. To think that her friend was the one that caused her illness, her time-travelling adventures… The first week was the hardest and she had moved about like crazy to distract herself. It was a Redfield trait—to keep oneself busy when things were tough. Chris soon after suggested, or more like ordered, that Claire move in with him. He also asked the BSAA not to take him away in the mean time while Claire adjusted to everything she had dealt with in the past couple of months. Jill had offered to cover for him if necessary as well.

There was a small _clanking _sound as Leon placed down another much bigger box down.

"Watch it there Kennedy; those are valuables." Claire quipped finding it a bit easier to do so now. It was still hard but she was bearing it all. Resilience was a big trait of hers after all.

"You said that about every box Claire." Leon said dryly.

Her lips twitched somewhat but for the most part she didn't smile. Smiling was a bit harder for her to accomplish. The last time she had smiled was when she saw Steve in her dreams. Upon remembering that detail, wistfulness and longing washed over her. After that she hadn't had anymore dreams with him. Maybe it was her mind's way of telling her to move on. Or maybe it was Steve's…

She brushed away those thoughts and started to open the box with her pocket knife. The knife cut through the tape and she opened the flaps easily. At that moment she became very much aware that Leon was watching her so she glanced over at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" She questioned quizzically.

"I was wondering how you could have so many boxes and yet not that many things." He stated simply although she could sense the light humor in his voice.

"That's your problem. You think too much."

He let loose a low, deep chuckle.

"Guilty." His lips twitched upwards into a smirk.

"So, where are you going next time you leave us, Mr. Bond?"

Leon snorted at her little nickname and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Sorry but that's classified information." He said seriously but she noticed the light in his eyes. He was teasing her once again.

"Hm, I could beat it out of you, you know." Claire replied beginning to pull out a couple of things out of the box.

"I'd like to see you try."

She laughed lightly. It felt good to laugh again. Before it had felt like a hard task but it was slowly becoming easier for her. After awhile she would be back and her old self again. She'd didn't doubt that.

"Oh, I have to check the mail. Chris is expecting something important." Claire finally remembered and grabbed the set of box keys on the way out.

She dashed outside where the sun was warm and sunny in the bright blue sky. The air was crisp and felt good. She jogged over to where the boxes of the condo complex were set and opened Chris's box. The locked clicked open and Claire opened the metal box grabbing the envelopes inside. As she was turning to leave she bumped into someone. Claire staggered a bit back and her eyes drew to the male's messy reddish strands of hair. Her throat suddenly felt parched and she slipped out a name even though she knew it was hopeless.

"Steve?"

The male blinked and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "I'm sorry?"

Chocolate brown eyes, dimples, a cleft chin…

It wasn't Steve, it was Sebastian. Surprise and shock filled Claire. She didn't think she'd ever run into him again. She had met him before only because of her time interference. It never crossed her mind that she'd run into him again. If he was alive then that certainly meant Abagail was too. After all, the New York incident never happened.

"Sorry, wrong person." Claire smiled slightly and then went on her way.

"Wait…" Sebastian called and she paused turning around. He instantly flushed obviously not having thought his words out before speaking. "This is going to sound weird but I _swear_ I feel like I know you."

"Maybe we did in another time?" Claire said light-heartedly. She didn't really believe in reincarnation but the statement seemed to suit. Plus there was honesty in her words. They had met in a different time period, he just wasn't aware of it.

He rolled his eyes but there was a smile across his lips.

"Sebastian!" A feminine voice called out and Claire spotted Abagail appear. She looked the same as she remembered; young, pretty, and childlike. "My brother is looking for you." She said and darted a curious glance over at Claire.

"Ah, right. Um…" He paused, looking over at Claire as if unsure how to progress from here.

"I'm Claire; Claire Redfield."

He smiled, nodding his head. "I'm Sebastian Maldonado and she's Abagail Conner." He added gesturing his head towards the young blonde who was watching him with something like appraisal. It was cute despite the obvious age difference between them although Claire doubted there was anything going on between them.

"I'll see you both around then." Claire waved and headed off.

"Bye." The two both replied back.

As Claire walked back down the pathway towards her condo she realized that some things just weren't unchangeable. And she could deal with that. She would continue going on with her life and make the best of it because she was still _alive _to enjoy it.

**

* * *

**

**The End**

**Ending note:** Yes, this is the end. I know; it isn't the "omg and they lived happily ever after" ending but I wasn't aiming for that. I wanted a more "realistic" ending. I want to thank everyone with supported me with this story—it wouldn't have been completed without you guys.

Oh—onto another note, if you want to read another story of mine with Steve and Claire I do have another out, _Until It Sleeps_. It's been neglected for this story but now I can finally get back to it.


End file.
